Moments in the Matrix
by Trinity-Neo1818
Summary: A retelling of the Matrix, through a romantic POV, from the moment Neo awakes in the real world to the moment before Reloaded begins. Witness the sacred moments shared between NeoTrin that made them everyone's favorite couple, including parts camera misse
1. The awakening

1

Darkness, it was everywhere. From beneath the lids of his closed eyes, he could sense the presence of others in the room, muffled voices echoing in his frost-bitten ears. Yet the incredibly painful throbbing in his head prevented him from opening his eyes to find out where he was. Everything felt different , painful and numb....but also pleasant, like a sense of relief had washed over him; like a heavy load had been removed from his back.

Now that he began to recognize more than just the pain consuming his body, questions plagued his mind. _Where was he? Why did everything feel so cold and painful? The Matrix__....Morpheus.....Trinity...had it all just been some strange dream? _At once, a sense of fear overcame him as the muffled voices became clearer to his ears.

"We've done it, Trinity." Said Morpheus in a stern and fatherly voice, his words echoing in the dark corner's of Neo's mind. "We've found him."

"I hope you're right." Replied a calm, elegant feminine voice. It was a woman's voice, a voice he had heard once before...and yet-he hadn't. The very sound enraptured him, brought a somewhat soothing sensation to his disoriented body. The sound was a sound of perfection that drew him from the dark prison he had built behind his closed eyes.

Opening his eyes to find the source for the sound, a flash of blinding neon white light spread over his eyes has he opened them to light. At once, he felt the tension in his muscles as they struggled to hold his eyes open, the blinding pain only matched with his will to find the source of the voice he had become so captivated by.

"We don't have to hope. I know it." Replied Morpheus as Neo's vision came into focus. Neo could feel the happiness in his calm tone rebounding off the walls of the strange room he was in.

_Where was he anyway? _Previous questions began to fill his mind again but were quickly brushed aside when he saw the figure staring down from above him. Her electric blue eyes shimmered with life against the beauty of her fair skin, framed by the elegant feminine figure of a warrior. Strands of short-cut, ebony hair fell in wisps around the sides of her face as she watched him intently, worry evident in her stony gaze.

She was truly the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Some strange enigma that had walked into his life and changed it completely. She reminded him of the stunningly beautiful Trinity he had met prior to this day. But there was something different about her now...like some strange aura that surrounded this charming woman. _Is she a woman? No, impossible. She__'s too beautiful to be human. Maybe she's some sort of angel, sent to watch over me by some greater force. Yes, that's the only explanation. She's an angel...but if that's true, then..._

"Am I dead?" Neo asked, surprised to hear the hoarse pain in his own voice. His eyes flickered away from the angel reluctantly and focused instead on Morpheus. At least he thought it was Morpheus...everyone looked so different in this place...

Morpheus bent over him, concern visible in his clam exterior as he stated seriously, "Far from it."

_Not dead? Does that mean she's human? _Feeling his mind cave from an overload of thoughts, he let his eyes close and slipped back into darkness, falling into a restless sleep.

"You know what really bothers me about working on a ship with Mouse?" Switch asked casually, pushing another spoonful of goop to her lips and watching her eating companion from across the table with large, blue eyes.

"Hmm?" Trinity mumbled absent mindedly, staring at the bowl in front of her and the food that she was merely toying with as she ran the spoon around the edges.

"He always picks the wrong time to pay a visit on Apoc and I." Switch replied, scowling as she drained her mug of metallic water. "Take last week for instance, when he walked in on the two of us in the mess hall. You know, sometimes I think he actually _wants _to get on my bad side. I'm telling you, there's something seriously wrong with that kid. I don't think it's healthy for him to be so into women and porn at his age. How old is he anyway?"

Trinity shrugged, finally setting down her spoon and rejecting her attempt to eat. Something about spending the entire day helping Morpheus tending to Neo had caused her to loose her appetite. In fact, she had hardly felt like eating since Morpheus had ordered her to keep an eye on Neo by means of the Matrix code. Of course, she would never reveal it to anyone, but it had been the best mission she had ever been assigned to.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Switch asked rudely, also dropping her spoon into the now empty bowl. "Earth to Trinity? Hello?"

"Sorry," Trinity mumbled, Switch's sharp tone brining her back into reality. "What were you saying?"

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" Switch asked worriedly, leaning across the table and forcing Trinity to meet her intense stare directly. "You've been acting really strange ever since Morpheus first told us about Neo."

Feeling her throat clench, Trinity found herself unable to reply and merely gave Switch her most dangerous look. Unfortunately, Switch was now so well accustomed to Trinity's menacing glare that she brushed it off easily and stood to wash her bowl and mug, a wise smirk spread across her face.

"You know, I'm actually starting to believe what Cypher keeps saying about you."

"What?" Trinity asked sharply, finding her voice in the name of the man that sent a shiver tracing down her spine, and not for the reasons he would have wanted to cause the reaction for.

"He says that you're entranced by Neo. Apparently you actually take Cypher's shifts in the Matrix even though the two of you were meant to be working on unplugging Neo together. You spend every free moment watching him on the Matrix screens, and I know from my own personal experience that you never miss an opportunity to talk about him."

"Let's just drop the subject, ok?" Said Trinity fiercely, feeling her pale cheeks burn red, causing Switch's smirk to widen dramatically.

"Ha! You're blushing!" Switch said almost happily from her place at the sink. "See? Cypher's right! And if I didn't know any better, I'd say he's jealous."

"Of Neo?" To Switch's nod, Trinity spluttered with laughter. "You have to be joking. That bastard would never be interested in me, and even if he was there isn't anything to be jealous about. Because anything Cypher has been telling you is a lie."

"Well I don't know about that..." Switch said shiftily, trying and failing to contain a sly smile.

"You really trust Cypher over me?" Trinity quirked an eyebrow, brining her unfinished food to the sink and standing beside Switch. "I thought we both agreed that he was a bastard who didn't deserve to work on this ship. Don't tell me you've forgotten the whole ordeal with Gina already."

"Who could forget something like that?" Switch scowled, pushing the unpleasant memory out of her mind. "All I'm saying is that he may be right about this. Tell me truthfully, how many of those comments Cypher says about you are true?"

Trinity sighed as Switch moved over slightly to allow her access to the sink. "All three of them." Switch's eyes widened in shock; she hadn't expected Trinity to be _this _lenient in telling her about Neo. Catching the look in Switch's eyes, Trinity added quickly, "But only because I have to. I've just been following orders and watching him like Morpheus told him to."

"What about taking Cypher's shifts?" Switch questioned, now moving aside to dry and stack her bowl, spoon and mug.

"You know me." Trinity said quietly, feeling the water in the sink lap against the rim of her rolled-up sleeves. "I like working. It makes me feel like I'm actually doing something worthwhile. And it's been a while since Morpheus decided he wanted to unplug someone new, so I was looking for an excuse to get back into the Matrix."

"Ok, fine." Switch sighed, preparing to leave. "But what about talking about him all the time? You can't deny that you don't, since I've witnessed it for myself. Whenever the opportunity arises, you bring him into the conversation."

Trinity froze, turning to face Switch sharply. The other woman was smirking, her purest white eyebrows rose lightly under the untidily cut fringe of white hair. She knew that what Switch said was most definitely true. Trinity never meant to bring Neo up continuously, but whenever someone in the crew mentioned something, it would remind her of something Neo does in the Matrix and the words could just push against her lips until she could no longer contain them. She realized now how odd this must look, especially for someone who spoke only when necessary or to give an order, unless she included her frequent conversations with Tank and Switch.

"Gotcha!" Switch called happily, moving quickly towards the door. But not quickly enough, as a sod covered rag slapped into her back fiercely. Switch darted out of the mess hall, her evil laughter echoing on the walls of the hall outside. Laughing quietly to herself, Trinity bent to pick up the soggy rag and carried it back to the sink.

As the water drained away, she felt tiredness overcome her and she let a wide yawn escape her lips as she dried her hands and pulled down the sleeves of her gray knit over shirt. As she made her way back to her room, Switch's words replayed continuously in Trinity's mind. _Cypher says you always try to take his shifts in the Matrix. You spend hours at a time just watching him in the Matrix, and you never miss an opportunity to talk about him._

Maybe what Switch said was true. But so what? She was only following orders...wasn't she? In the privacy of her own mind, she could not deny that she did enjoy watching Neo when he was still plugged into the Matrix. She would spend the entire day sitting in front of the brilliant green raindrop coding and watch his life progress until she knew his weekly routine off by heart. Trinity couldn't even tell herself why she did it; all she knew was that there was just something comforting about seeing him lying in his bed, sound asleep with the blankets pulled around him tightly, his chest heaving with his steady breathing and his eyelids fluttering in light sleep...

"Oh God, Trinity. Listen to yourself." Trinity complained as she reached the door to her room. She always talked to herself for comfort and often failed to realize the consequences for this. "You sound like someone in..."

"Someone in what?" Asked a slimly, slithery voice. Whirling around, she met Cypher's piercing blue eyes. Cursing herself inwardly for failing to recognize his footsteps following her down the corridor, Trinity folded her arms across her chest and an emotionless stare.

"Finish that sentence." Cypher stated, taking slow and careful steps towards her. "Go on. It doesn't matter anyway, because I already knew what you were going to say."

"Piss off, Cypher. I'm not in the mood for this shit." Trinity said coldly, turning her back to him and marching back to her door, pulling it open with a loud creek.

"Just answer this for me, Trinity." Cypher whispered, moving ever closer to her. "What does he have that I don't? Why are you so enchanted by him? I just can't see why you would prefer him over me."

_Probably because Neo isn't a slimy bastard with a hidden agenda. _Trinity thought to herself, but decided not to voice her opinions aloud. She was too tired to get into a fight, although she would have liked nothing better than to kick him where the sun don't shine. Instead, she chose not to reply and backed into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Laughing mechanically, Cypher moved against the door and pressed his warm

cheek against the cool metal door, listening to Trinity moving towards her bed inside.

_She's one hell of a woman. _Cypher thought to himself as he finally moved away from the door. _And I'm going to risk everything to get her to love me. And by everything, I mean everything._


	2. Discovering the truth

2

Trinity sighed heavily as she removed both her over-shirt and under-shirt and dropped them to the floor with a delicate _plop_. Lifting both shirts and her navy cotton pants and tossing them on the end of her unmade bed, Trinity crossed her room in nothing but underwear, rummaging amongst her few possessions for the only other set of clothing she owned.

"This is crazy." Trinity whispered to herself as her frozen fingers clasped around her loose fitting grey shirt. "I'm not attractive. Why would Neo like me anyway? I'm definitely not the easiest person to be close to....God, I really should stop talking to myself all the time."

Setting the now found clothes out on her bed, Trinity prepared to dress when the door creaked open loudly and Mouse barged in noisily, hardly giving Trinity the time to hold her shirt over as much skin as possible. Mouse froze in the doorframe as the sapphire toned steel door crashed against the inner wall of the room, his brown eyes bulging but not widely enough to stand out against the brilliant red in his cheeks.

"Um....Trinity?" Mouse stuttered, tugging on the flaps of the hat that covered tuffs of straw coloured hair. "Gee....err....sorry. I t-thought you would have...err....a-anyway, I was trying to make some improvements in the core, and I kind of screwed it up. Since you're the best at welding, Tank sent me here."

Trinity raised a fine eyebrow, having a strange feeling that Mouse was staring at her bare legs. Frowning, and casting him her most terrifying look, Mouse backed out of the room quickly, reaching to pull the door closed.

"C-can you come?" Mouse mumbled before he shut the door completely, no longer daring to look his second-in-command in the eye.

"Let me get dressed first." Trinity spat angrily. "Oh, and Mouse? Next time you decide to pay a visit on me, _knock_."

Mouse nodded briefly before shutting the door quickly. Trinity listened to his boots thumping against the floor of the corridor outside before she dropped the shirt back onto the bed and reached for her undershirt, glad that she had been wearing her underwear when Mouse entered.

"Switch was right." Trinity said with a soft laugh. "He does have a habit for bursting in at the most awkward moments."

She finished dressing and stepped into the corridor, slowly making her way towards the core. She passed the closed iron doors that stood between the hall and the rooms of her crewmates, as well as several empty rooms that were rarely used. As she neared the ladder that would take her to the main deck, Trinity heard ragged breathing coming from a nearby room.

Turning her head, she noticed that the door to a room that was usually left empty stood slightly ajar, the heavy breathing issuing from the room behind it. Approaching cautiously, Trinity pushed the door open as quietly as possible and let a small gasp escape her lips when she caught sight of what lay behind it.

The room was most likely the smallest aboard the Nebercanezzer, the metal single bed taking up most of the room and leaving little floor space. Unlike Trinity's bed, the pinstriped covers were still tucked under the mattress neatly, the pillow plump and inviting. The nets tied above the bed had already been filled with supplies, brand new and ready for use. However, these minor details hardly captured Trinity's attention, which seemed to be focused souly on the figure lying atop the bed.

Neo lay on his back, his head lolling to the side slightly in what appeared to be a restless sleep. The clothes he wore were obviously second hand, tattered and torn like most garments available on the ship. They seemed loose and limp on his body, not fitting his slender frame correctly, where as the dirt-trodden boots strapped to his feet seemed painfully tight.

Taking slow and careful steps towards him, hoping she wouldn't wake him, Trinity felt the corners of her mouth upturn in a faint smile as her eyes fixed on his pale stricken face, his eyelids snapped tightly over the beauty of his eyes. Thick brown bristles of hair were already beginning to grow atop his head, and Trinity marveled at the fact that his hair had begun to grow back much faster than usual seeing as his eyebrows had already returned to their average length.

Cringing when she noticed the needle jabbed into the plug in his lower arm, Trinity watched the clear fluid transmitting into his flesh briefly, feeling a twang of pain herself, as if the needle had been struck into her instead. It took all of her will power to stop herself from pulling out, as she mentally reminded herself that it would make him heal much faster. Stepping closer to the bed, Trinity hardly registered another presence outside the room as Neo stirred in his sleep, admitting a groan of both pain and exhaustion.

"Neo," Trinity whispered quietly, speaking the word slowly to savor it against her lips. Smiling once more upon the sleeping form, Trinity edged away from the bed and out of the room, shutting the door behind her completely.

"Trinity."

Moving swiftly at the sound of her name, Trinity locked eyes with her captain and felt a horrible sensation like cement being poured into her throat. _How long had he been standing there?_

"He shouldn't be out of the Med Bay yet." Trinity said in what she hoped was equivalent for her usual commanding voice. "He needs more time to heal. It's only been three days since he was unplugged."

"Actually, Neo has been making quite a quick recovery." Morpheus shrugged, leading Trinity towards the ladder that ascended to the main deck. "I was expecting it to take at least a few weeks but his muscles have been rebuilt successfully in an unusually short amount of time considering his age."

"When do you think he'll be up and walking around the ship?" Trinity asked, trying and failing not to sound too eager.

Morpheus was slightly taken aback by Trinity's emotion. He certainly hadn't expected her to be so enthusiastic about Neo's presence on board the ship, since he knew that she still refused to believe the prophesy of The One. He moved aside to allow Trinity to climb up the ladder first, gripping the sides of it firmly before ascending himself.

"With luck, he may even be out of bed by the end of today." Morpheus said formally as he climbed the final rail and stepped onto the main deck. "But I'm still not certain."

Trinity nodded, stepping away from her captain to retrieve the wielding gear and begin another daunting day of work.

"Has anyone ever noticed that the Oracle has a habit of screwing people up?" Mouse called to anyone who would listen as he tapped several keys on a screen from across the room. "She told me that I was going to die young, but a hero's death fighting for the resistance. Sure, that's a comforting thought. I would have liked it much better if she told me I was going to fall in love with a hot girl."

_Trust me, _Trinity thought to herself as several sparks flicked into the mask she wore over her face, _having someone tell you you'd fall in love is just as comforting as being told your going to die young. _

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Tank said from his position in front of the Matrix screens as he leaned back in his chair lazily. "Well, I sure am glad I can't jack in. Where's the fun in having some old lady tell you shit you don't even want to know?"

"The Oracle doesn't screw everyone up, Mouse." Switch said as she tossed a wrench across the room to Cypher, who was repairing a jack-in chair. "She just tells you the truth. It's not her fault if your future's bleak."

"Easy for you to say." Mouse scowled. "I bet _your _prophecy was as beautiful as a basket of roses."

"Actually, it was." Switch replied with a smile, casting a sideways glance to Apoc who returned it with a kind smile.

"What did she tell you then?" Mouse questioned, now completely abandoning his set work.

"None of your business." Switch retorted, casting him a scathing look. "As Morpheus said, everyone's prophecy is for them, and them alone."

"Well, I can guess your prophecy anyway." Mouse said bitterly. "The Oracle probably told you you'd fall for Apoc. And vice versa for him. The one person I'd have trouble predicting for is Trinity. I mean, it's not like the Oracle would say _she'd _fall in love. She's way too cold hearted for that."

Trinity had now completely abandoned her welding work and removed her protective mask, the coldness in her ice blue eyes equivalent to the frostiness in the iceberg that sunk the titanic.

"Well, it's true!" Mouse cried, ignoring Trinity's face at all costs. "I mean, come on Trinity! Do you really think that you're the type to fall in-"

"Shut up, Mouse." Apoc warned threateningly, receiving the reaction of smiling faces from the rest of the crew. Mouse was mostly considered to be the little brother none (except Dozer) had aboard the Neb, and just as irritating. Although it was well known that the deep thinking and quiet Apoc found him more irritating than the others and constantly found himself repeating those three words.

Mouse pulled a face in mockery of Apoc once the older man had turned his back, and refocused on his work, Trinity deciding to follow his lead. However, Mouse's words still burned fresh in her mind and she felt her cheeks burning beneath her mask, and not because of the heat issuing from the blue flames at the tip of her welding gear.

Mouse is right. I'm not the type to fall in love. I wouldn't know how to love someone. And who could ever love me anyway?...well, maybe Cypher does...but he doesn't count...

Trinity's train of thought was broken when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Pulling off her mask and turning to see Tank standing above her, Trinity raised an eyebrow to convey the question that didn't need to be voiced.

"You seem a little tense." Tank whispered so that the others wouldn't be able to hear. "Is everything ok?"

To Trinity's nod, Tank squeezed her shoulder briefly before leaving her be. Trinity smiled at his retreating back before pulling the mask back over her face and concentrating once more.

"This is my ship, the Nebercanezzer." Said Morpheus as Neo climbed the final rudder and scrambled onto the next level, clutching a blanket around his shoulders tightly and shivering partly from the cold, and partly from fear. Morpheus had not yet fully explained all the strange events that had been occurring and he was still unsure of everything.

"It's a hovercraft." Morpheus continued, leading Neo down the hall and towards the core and gestured around him as Neo caught sight of the plaque attached to the ship's steel walls. "This is the main deck. This is the core, where we broadcast our pirate signal, and hack into the Matrix."

_What the hell is the Matrix anyway? _Neo asked himself, growing increasingly impatient with his own ignorance. If someone didn't explain something to him soon, he felt he would explode. Somehow, he was getting the feeling that Morpheus was purposely delaying an explanation of his surroundings. Having had woken up to find the pain he had experienced earlier had subsided, Neo had been shocked to find himself dressed in ragged clothes with only short stubble for hair and strange metal plugs built into his flesh. So far, Morpheus had failed to explain any of this to him.

He noticed a mousy haired, lanky teenage boy watching him silently from behind a computer and wondered how many people were aboard the ship.

"Most of my crew," Said Morpheus, continuing to move further into the core. "You already know."

As soon as the words left Morpheus's lips, Neo's eyes flew automatically to the right where a figure was standing up in a single, slow graceful movement and removing the mask that consumed her face. Trinity tossed her mask aside and brushed wisps of ebony hair out of her face, her skin chalk white and her eyes shinning as if they had been stuck with bolts of electricity, the power in them swelling and filling her entire being.

_No wonder I thought she was an angel. _Neo thought to himself as he scurried after Morpheus, but failing to tear his eyes from her, finding it physically impossible. Staring intently over his shoulder as he passed, he noticed slight surprise evident in her face, as it was portrayed in the expressions of the other three slightly familiar figures that were now approaching him.

Morpheus stepped behind the three figures, resting a hand on the shoulder of each in turn as he introduced them. "This is Apoc, Switch, and Cypher."

"Hi." Cypher said with a smirk that was slightly unnerving, and Neo found it much more intimidating than the emotionless glare he received from Apoc and Switch.

"The ones you don't know." Morpheus continued, gesturing behind him to a set of men leaning against what seemed to be some sort of large computer consol. "Tank, and his big brother Dozer."

Tank smiled cheerfully, at once causing Neo to relax. At least one person had the courtesy to show him he was welcome in his strange new surroundings. Neo found himself liking Tank already.

"The little one behind you is Mouse." Morpheus nodded in the direction over Neo's shoulder. Swiveling around, he was surprised to see the young teenager had followed him silently and now nodded shyly, smiling timidly.

Feeling strong hands grip his shoulders, causing him to tremble slightly, Neo turned back to Morpheus, who was now standing directly in front of him.

"So you wanted to know what the Matrix is, Neo?" Asked Morpheus, not tearing his eyes from the man who stood in front of him. Neo nodded vigorously, desperate for answers despite the throbbing pain in his head. In reply, Morpheus called in a commanding voice, "Trinity."

Trinity was at his side in a matter of seconds, standing so close to him that he could make out every small detail in her face. The earlier expression of shock had now evaporated from her features and was replaced with..._concern_? She hid her emotion so well, it became almost impossible to tell. Even so, he felt he could trust her, and not just because he had known her prior to this day, but because she was head-strong and determined, giving the impression that she knew what she was doing.

Letting her lead him to what resembled an old, worn dentist chair, Neo let the tension flow from his body as the chair reclined. Feeling the eyes of other crew members on him, Neo shivered slightly and let his eyes fall on Morpheus, who had moved to the side of his chair opposite from Trinity.

"Try to relax." Morpheus commanded. Neo heard a strange scrapping sound from behind him as metal drew dangerously close to his skin. "This will feel...a little weird."

Suddenly, a needle was jabbed into the plug in the back on his head sharply. Morpheus was right: it did feel weird. _More _than weird; like a blade had been pushed into the back of his skull, striking a sensitive part of his head and causing pain equal to that of a thousand knives being jabbed into his body at once and sending pain coursing throughout his entire being.

Screaming in agony, and perhaps from shock, Neo felt his eyes shut tightly, only to reopen in an entirely different surrounding....

"He's in the construct?" Trinity asked after Morpheus had been jacked in.

"_They _are." Replied Tank from his usual place in front of the Matrix screens, choosing to ignore Trinity's obvious attention to Neo for the time being. "Gee, it seems like only yesterday Morpheus was taking you through the same lecture, doesn't it?"

"Don't start pretending to be my father." Trinity scowled, moving up behind him to watch.

"From what I remember, you didn't take the news very well." Tank smirked at the memory. "You vomited the second you sat up. It was hilarious."

"No it wasn't." Trinity said sharply. "How do you know that anyway? You weren't a crew member when I was unplugged."

"Dozer was." Tank grinned. "How long have you been on board this ship anyway?"

"About eleven years." Trinity said absent mindedly, keeping most of her attention on what was happening inside the construct.

"You're kidding me!" Tank exclaimed in shock. "That long? Only Dozer and Morpheus have been working on this ship longer than you."

"There was an entirely different crew on board this ship when I was first unplugged." Trinity said thoughtfully. "I was fifteen at the time....so it was about eleven years ago."

"Oh yeah. You didn't go to the Academy or the orphanage, did you?" Tank asked. To Trinity's nod, "Do you think Morpheus will make Neo go?"

Trinity shook her head violently, struggling to hold in a laugh. "He'd be the oldest student in his class. Even Morpheus isn't cruel enough to make him work with a bunch of kids." She peered closely at the screen, reading the expression of shock on Neo's face. "Don't you think Morpheus is taking things too quickly? I-I don't think Neo's had enough time to heal."

"Morpheus wouldn't tell Neo anything he's not ready to hear. But you're right, he's recovered in an unusually short amount of time. Maybe it has something to do with...." Tank shrugged, his forehead creasing into frown lines. "Uh oh, looks like it's time to get them out of there."

Trinity couldn't hold in a gasp when she saw Neo screaming and darting away from Morpheus with shock, fear and disbelief glowing in the softness of his digital eyes. Tank hurriedly typed in the appropriate keys as Trinity darted to the side of Neo's chair as his eyes snapped open.

Drawing a long and ragged breath, Neo began to thrash around in the chair with fear, trying to rip the needle from the back of his neck with trembling fingers. Feeling herself fill with pity as she recalled her first trip into the construct, Trinity held him down gently, hoping she didn't place too much pressure on Neo's arms.

"Easy, Neo, easy." She said firmly, pushing him back into the chair with a surprisingly strong grip. If Neo hadn't been in the state he was, he would have enjoyed the sensations he was receiving from her hands pressing against his chest.

"Get this thing out of me!" Neo cried, trying to move past Trinity's hands. "Get this thing..."

Dozer moved to Neo's other side and wrenched the needle from the back of his head as the rest of the crew gathered around them in a circular form. Pulling himself away from the chair, Neo staggered into the center of the circle, feeling his vision blur and his feet giving way beneath his weight.

"Don't touch me! Stay away from me!" Neo shouted, only wavering when he saw a flicker of hurt hidden beneath Trinity's eyes at his harsh words. He knew she was only trying to help him, but there was much more pressing matters in his mind at the moment to daunt on this much longer. "I don't want it, I don't want to believe it."

Trinity felt her heart clench in her chest as her breath caught sharply in her throat. She didn't like seeing him in this state and partly wished that Morpheus had just left him to continue living out the peaceful life he had in the Matrix. A routine she and come to known so well...Although she knew it was for the best. If he was the One....

Trinity noticed Cypher rolling her eyes at Neo and scowled. _Can't he show some sympathy? We all know what it feels like to discover that everything you've ever known is just a lie. The poor thing is going through a serious mental trauma...Oh God, did I just call Neo a 'poor thing'?_

"He's gonna pop."Cypher stated the obvious, shaking his head knowingly as Neo dropped to his knees.

Neo felt his vision blur, the colours mixing into a mess of blues, blacks and browns. Morpheus pushed through the crew, his eyes wide with concern.

"Breathe, Neo." Morpheus commanded. "Just breathe."

It was the last thing he heard before he lurched forward and felt a warm taste linger on his lips as the smell of vomit drifted to his lips. Groaning and no longer being able to maintain concussions, Neo fell to the floor and was consumed by darkness once again.

"Someone should take him back to his room-" Morpheus began after Neo collapsed onto the cold surface of the steel floor, but was interrupted almost immediately.

"I will." Trinity blurted out, causing all eyes to turn to her. Feeling her cheeks burn, but refusing to withdraw her comment, Trinity folded her arms across her midsection and stepped forward, crouching beside Neo's unconscious form.

"-clean him up," Morpheus continued, surprise entwined with each word. "And dress him in fresh clothes."

Trinity blushed a vibrant shade of scarlet, backing away from Neo instantly realizing that Morpheus had meant to suggest that a man would be better for the job.

"I'll do it." Said Dozer, taking Trinity's place at Neo's side and lifting him out of his own pool of vomit and slumping his arm across Dozer's shoulders. Once Dozer had shuffled away, Trinity gave the others a curt nod, retreating to her room to recover from the embarrassment and muttering about her stupidity to herself on the way.


	3. Midnight conversations

A/N: Sorry if there was any problem with the dividers in the last chapter. For some reason, they didn't come out properly when I checked it on the site. If there's any problem with dividers this time, tell me in your reviews. Thanks for all your reviews by the way, I love getting feedback, especially when I get good comments. Thanks so much to everyone!

3

"Neo's recovered amazingly quickly." Switch said as she joined Tank and Trinity at the table in the mess hall. "Considering his age, it's pretty unusual for him to be up and walking around only three days after he was unplugged. Who knows? Maybe Morpheus is right. Maybe this guy really _is _the One!"

_Which means that I'm going to fall in love with him sometime soon_. Trinity thought bitterly to herself. _Goddamit, why did the Oracle want to tell me that anyway?_

"We'll be able to know tomorrow." Tank replied, reaching his arms to the sky and stretching. "I spoke to Morpheus on my way over here. Apparently, Morpheus wants Neo to start his training tomorrow."

"_Tomorrow_!?" Trinity exclaimed in shock, voicing her thoughts aloud (as she often did anyway). "That's far too soon! He...there's no way he'll be ready!"

"Hey, I know what's going on here." Tank said, quirking his eyebrows seductively and casting her a playful look. "Looks likes Trinity has the hots for our newbie."

Trinity scowled, giving him the 'evil eye' . Tank, having known Trinity for quite some time, knew that it would be safer to back off. However, Trinity seemed keen to continue the conversation, despite the danger lurking in her eyes.

"Look, what would you do if a complete stranger told you that you'd fall in love with someone you hadn't met yet?" Trinity asked forwardly, deciding the moment of truth had come. _If I don't tell somebody about my prophecy soon, I'm going to blurt it out at a VERY awkward moment. Besides, Tank and Switch are my closest companions on the ship. They won't laugh at me...will they?_

"I'd laugh in their general direction." Tank answered, taking a long swig of the 'drink' his brother makes. "But Switch and I aren't complete strangers."

"I don't mean you." Trinity scoffed, suddenly deciding that she'd found the scratch on the table far more interesting than the faces of her companions. "I mean the Oracle. She....she told me I'd fall in love."

There was a stunned silence, in which Trinity didn't dare to meet with the faces of Tank or Switch. She didn't need to; their expressions were imprinted into her mind to match the reactions she predicted. Sure enough, when she finally gained the courage to raise her head, Tank was mouthing wordlessly and Switch was shaking her head in pure disgust.

"What?" Trinity questioned rudely, looking between the two of them. "What's your problem?"

"You....in love?" Switch asked ignorantly. Trinity nodded curtly, trying to make light of a bad situation as she now regretted even opening her mouth at all. At once, Switch and Tank doubled over laughing, collapsing into a spluttering heap.

"My God!" Tank cried as he regained his composure. "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard! Gees....can you picture Trinity falling in love?" Tank immediately changed to a high-pitched, terrible imitation of Trinity. "_Oh Neo, you're ever so manly and hot. Why don't you come over here and kiss me?_"

"Shut up!" Trinity bellowed as Tank and Switch collapsed into a laughing heap once again. "I'm just telling you what I heard."

"No wonder you were shooting daggers at Mouse when he tried to guess your prophecy today." Switch said thoughtfully. "And to think he came this close to getting it right!"

"Shut the hell up, or I'll have you all kicked off this ship!" Trinity shouted, once again having to use her higher rank in order to protect her dignity.

"Ok, ok." Tank sighed heavily before an idea flickered into his head, causing a wide smile to spread across his face. "Hey, did the Oracle tell you _who _you'd fall in love with? Although, I think I have a hunch anyway."

"As a matter of fact, she did." Trinity said seriously, finding her voice had transfigured into a tone no louder than a timid whisper. "I'm meant to fall in love with the One-"

"This is great! With luck, Trinity will be able to tell us if Neo is the One or not before we even need to take him to see the Oracle." Switch said happily.

"And what if I don't fall in love with Neo? Then what?" Trinity asked.

"Then he isn't the One and we'll just have to look elsewhere." Switch shrugged. "You can point us in the right direction....you should start searching the Matrix for guys you're attracted to."

"Oh, sure. I'd be thrilled to play the part of a human compass." Trinity said sarcastically.

"Anyway, that was inhumane, Switch." Tank frowned, for once displaying an expression of seriousness. "This isn't about the war, it's about Trinity. Sure, the war might be a part of it, but I think that Trinity's happiness is more important. Trinity, I think you should forget about the prophecy and just go with your gut instinct. Don't think you have to fall in love with Neo just because he's the One."

"I can't believe Tank is giving me advice with my love life." Trinity said darkly. "Especially when the only woman that's ever loved him is his mother."

"Excuse me?" Tank exclaimed in disbelief, buffing out his chest proudly. "I happen to be the envy of all the men in Zion when it comes to the ladies. It's a fact that I was voted to have Zion's most kissable lips by the female residence."

"Tank, you're too positive to be attractive." Switch retorted.

"Just because you fell for the dark, deep-thinking type, doesn't mean every woman in Zion will." Tank said slyly. "Take Trinity for example. She went for the naïve, shy, boyish type."

"I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH NEO!" Trinity shouted, pounding the table in frustration.

"Maybe you aren't yet." Switch said as he got to her feet and headed for the door. "Face it, Trinity. The Oracle is never wrong. You're going to fall in love, whether you want to or not."

"Well that's comforting." Trinity said bitterly.

"Look on the bright side of things." Switch grinned. "As you so adequately put it, you'd be like a human compass. With you on board, we'll be able to find the One much faster than expected. So if you find yourself becoming attracted to someone on board the ship, make sure you tell us, ok? I'm going to bed, goodnight."

Trinity scowled as Switch left the Mess Hall. The second she was gone, Tank yawned widely as he too, got to his feet, and began to scoff. "You pod-borns....all you ever care about is war. Look, don't listen to her, Trinity. Take my advice and just go with what feels right. You shouldn't have to love someone just because of their title."

"When did you become an expert on love?" Trinity asked with a faint smile quivering in the corners of her lips.

"When my brother married Cas, when my sister married Link, and when Switch started seeing Apoc. Trust me, when it comes to love, I've seen it all." Tank grinned before moving to the door. "You coming to bed or what?"

"No." Trinity shook her head. "I'm not too tired....I've got a lot to think about anyway."

"Suit yourself." Tank shrugged, wrenching the door open and calling out before it closed behind him. "Night, Trinity."

"Night." Trinity called in reply, but Tank was already retreating towards his room.

Neo shivered, trying and failing to ignore the numbness in his body as he pulled his blankets around him tightly. His teeth chattering in the frosty air, Neo decided it would be wiser to simply abandon his attempt to sleep. He had so much on his mind right now...

Sure, he had always loved philosophy. He had played with the idea of challenging his own existence in high school, but he hadn't ever imagined that those thoughts had been close to the truth. What was even more unnerving was having the knowledge that he would one day have to save the world...at least according to Morpheus he was.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" Neo asked himself in the darkness of his tiny room. He often voiced his thoughts aloud when he was alone in order to get them off his chest. Neo considered this the saner way to say that he talked to himself. "I haven't even been able to keep a goldfish alive for more than a few days, let alone determine the fate of every human being on the planet. And what if I fail? What if I let down the entire human race? Even worse, what if I'm not even the One at all?"

His usual tactics to relieve stress were failing to work as well as they had when he was still plugged into the Matrix. If anything, they were only increasing the tension in his shoulders. Eventually, seeing as he hadn't had a chance to fully explore the ship yet, Neo decided to take a walk and perhaps find something to drink in order to sooth the dry sensation in his throat.

Scrambling to his feet and stuffing them into his boots, Neo fumbled with the unfamiliar clasps before tugging a blanket about his shoulders and opening the door with a soft creek.

As he had expected, the hall outside his room was completely abandoned. Treading softly on the frosty iron floor, Neo tiptoed away from the other rooms and shuffled up the ladder that led him to the next floor. Upon emerging in the core, Neo felt his cheeks reddening as he remembered the 'display' he had put on earlier that day when Morpheus told him about the Matrix and wished he had managed to uphold enough sense to keep his dignity.

_Typical, _Neo thought as he laughed softly to himself. _I get a fresh start in a new world, and I ruin my reputation before I've even had a chance to build it up. I'm such an idiot...and what's worst about it is that Trinity probably thinks I'm mentally retarded or something after I carried on like that...gee, why does her opinion matter to me so much anyway?...probably because she's so smart...and head-strong...and beautiful..._

Wondering around the ship aimlessly now and peering into empty rooms, Neo focused on other things, his thoughts carrying him along the darkened corridors. Finally, he wondered idly into a large room which contained taps, sinks, benches, cupboards and a large, metal table positioned directly in the middle of the room.

Neo retreated back a step when he pushed the door open as he had not expected to find it occupied by the very woman who was on his mind at the moment. Trinity was sitting alone at the side table, dressed exactly as she had been earlier that day and clutching the mug of water that rested on the table with elegant white fingers, trembling with cold. Staring at him transfixededly with those piercing ice blue eyes of hers, she coaxed her head to the side as a single strand of deepest brown hair slipped onto the front of her face.

"Hi." She said curiously, watching him intently.

"Oh." Neo mumbled as he reentered the room. "Hi."

Shutting the door behind him and moving into the seat opposite her, Neo pretended to be fascinated with the objects in the rest of the room, feeling her eyes remain upon him and not wavering for a moment. _She must think I'm such an idiot. Maybe it was a mistake to come in here in the first place..._

"I thought you'd be exhausted." Trinity stated, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them. "What are you doing up?"

"I-I couldn't sleep." Neo stuttered, finally meeting her gaze directly. _Big mistake, _was the first thought that entered the mind of the pair, especially Trinity. She hadn't had a chance to look Neo directly in the eye in the real world, and found beauty in them that the machines would never be able to captivate when he was in the Matrix.

Trinity had always hated anyone who said they first fell in love with someone's eyes. It just sounded so pathetic, so feminine, so soppy and unlike her. How could anyone fall in love with eyes when you hardly knew the owner of them? Finally, she knew what others meant when they said this. Neo's chestnut shaded eyes glowed with a radiant beauty that could only be described as enchanting. Definitely, she now saw that his eyes were the feature on his face that stood out more than any other, the hidden knowledge masked only by the brilliant glare illuminating from them. It was then that she realized his eyes would be her only weakness.

"What about you?" Neo asked, breaking Trinity's thoughts. Blinking back into reality, Trinity focused directly on Neo's pupils and, by some miracle, was able to form words.

"I have too much on my mind to focus on sleep right now." Trinity said openly, wishing that she had kept her mouth shut. _How suspicious does that sound?_

"So do I." Neo smiled shyly, eyeing the water glass resting on the table and remembering how thirsty he had been earlier, but finding himself too embarrassed to ask for a drink.

"It's hard finding out the truth, isn't it?" Trinity answered, returning the smile with her own.

"Not to mention embarrassing." Neo muttered softly, once again, thinking out loud. Unfortunately, Trinity overheard him and was overcome with a sense of pity once more.

"Don't worry about it." Trinity said comfortingly. "I've been on this ship for eleven years and I've seen similar behavior from everyone when Morpheus takes them through the whole explanation. Trust me, you're not the first to react the way you did. My first trip into the console is definitely something I'd rather forget."

Neo grinned, relief spreading throughout him. _At least I'm not the only one. _Running fingers subconsciously through the bristles of dark hair that prickled his skull, he half expected to feel thick strands of messy brunette hair instead. He pulled his hands away in shock, but regained his composure quickly.

Trinity was also recovering from shock, but for different reasons. _He's so easy to talk to. The only other people I can speak with in this relaxed fashion are Tank and Switch, but it took years to build up that relationship. I've only really known Neo a few days and already I'm speaking with him as if I've known him my whole life._

"I just couldn't believe it." Neo sighed, letting his head droop as he shook it sadly. "How can everything I've ever known be a lie? I've never really been sure of anything in life, and it always takes me a long time to make my mind up about things. And now that I know that my existence, the one thing I was certain of, wasn't real...I-I just don't know what to think."

"Once you recover from the shock, it's good to try and think of everything in a positive way." Trinity suggested as she lifted the water to her lips. "Just see this as a fresh start, a chance to become a different person. A chance to change who you used to be and become what you truly are."

"That's a nice way of looking at it." Neo complimented, smiling faintly before he added, "Err...you wouldn't mind telling me where I could go to get some water, could you?"

"There are mugs in that cupboard over there." Trinity gestured. "Just fill them up with water from that tap."

"Oh. Thanks." Neo said before getting to his feet and moving to the cupboard Trinity had directed him to. As he filled his mug with water, he tried to think of something to say of that the two of them wouldn't need to sit in awkward silence once he moved back to the table. However, Neo had never prided himself on being able to speak well in a social situation, especially when someone like Trinity was involved.

"One thing's for sure." Neo said quietly as he lifted the water to his lips gratefully. "I'm glad I ended up on a ship with such a great bunch of people."

"I wouldn't count on that." Trinity said with an inward laugh. "Cypher really isn't the greatest one for company. Apoc and Dozer don't really talk much, where as Mouse never really shuts up. Switch is alright, but it takes a long time to gain her friendship and trust. But Tank's very social. No doubt he'll be eager to make friends with you straight away."

Trinity could scarcely believe she was telling him this! She had never been a great conversationalist herself and only really spoke when she needed to give orders, or it was absolutely necessary, like when she spoke with Switch and Tank. Now, she found herself speaking thoughts she carried with her or only spoke alone to a man she hardly knew! Yet somehow, speaking with Neo gave her comfort. He listened to everything she had to say, and knew when it was appropriate to speak. Perhaps he was going to prove to be better company than expected.

"Maybe you should try and get some sleep." Trinity finally said after a long pause in which Neo drained his glass of water. "Tank says Morpheus plans to start training you tomorrow."

"Yeah, he did mention that." Neo said thoughtfully. "What is training anyway?"

"You'll find out tomorrow. All I can tell you is that it isn't going to be any walk in the park. You need all the rest you can get."

"I'll take your advice." Neo smiled and stood to leave. Trinity decided now wasn't the time to point out that he needed to wash his own mug. Neo paused at the open door, turning to look over his shoulder at the woman who watched him so intently.

"We can talk again sometime, right?" Neo asked hopefully.

Trinity was at once taken aback by this comment, but also flattered by it. It was the way he said it that provoked deeper feelings inside her. Luckily for her, she managed to keep these feelings under control.

"Well, it's hard to avoid talking to you if we're going to be working on the same ship." Trinity replied.

"Great." Neo smiled. "I like talking to you."

It was only later that he realized just how corny and lame this statement sounded. However, Trinity was yet again flattered by his words. _He likes talking to me! Shit, I'm sounding like some teenager on the brink of puberty. Bad thought, bad thought, bad thought._

"Well," Trinity mumbled uncomfortably. "Goodnight, Neo."

"Goodnight, Trinity." Neo said with a smile before retreating back to his room in order to spend what remained of the night sitting alone in darkness.

A/N: I'm not sure about Trinity's personality in this chapter. I think she sounds too girly. Tell me what you think.


	4. Training begins

4

Neo sat upright on his bed, his back pressed against the cold wall behind him and his arms wrapped tightly around his heads as the neon lights above him flickered before illuminating the small room he occupied, informing him of daybreak.

Unfortunately, he hadn't taken Trinity's advice in getting a good nights sleep. Several times he had attempted and failed to get the rest he truly needed, eventually realizing that his mind was bubbling with an overload of information which prevented him from sleep. So he had spent what remained of the night sitting alone in his darkened room, running things through his head.

Suddenly, his door flew open with a loud creek to reveal Tank's form filling the doorframe as a wide grin graced his face.

"Morning, did you sleep?" Asked Tank, continuing when Neo shook his head firmly. "You will tonight, I grantee it."

Tank's statement only caused Neo further puzzlement. _From what I've heard, this training definitely doesn't sound like fun._ But what really caught his attention was the eagerness in Tank's voice. An eagerness to build up a friendship. _Trinity was right, Tank does seem like the social sort._

"I'm Tank." Said Tank, marching into Neo's room and holding out a hand in greeting. "I'll be your operator."

Two things caught Neo's attention when he took Tank's hand in his own and shook it. The first was the strength in Tank's grip compared to his own. He supposed this was simply because his own muscles were still weak and feeble after not having used them until now, which made him wonder if his body really was ready for training. The second thing was the lack of plugs on Tank's biceps.

"You don't...you don't have any..." Neo began, not entirely sure how he should finish the sentence.

"Holes?" Tank shook his head, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Nope. Me and my brother Dozer, we're both one hundred percent pure old fashioned, homegrown human. Born free. Right here. In the real world." Tank stated proudly. "Genuine child of Zion."

"Zion?" Neo questioned. _Is Tank and Dozer's mother on board the ship as well?_

"If the war was over tomorrow, Zion's where the party would be."

"It's a city?" Neo concluded.

Tank nodded, speaking with sadness. "The last human city. The only place we got left."

Tank's words only left Neo filled with more curiosity. From what he'd seen of the real world when he was inside the construct, the atmosphere didn't really seem ideal for the location of a giant city. Especially with machines running around and terrorizing the place.

"Where is it?"

Tank crouched on his knees, placing his palm against the floor of Neo's room. "Deep underground, near the earth's core. Where it's still warm. You live long enough you might even see it." Tank finished with a sly grin. Neo decided to pretend he hadn't heard that comment. Rising to his feet again, Neo noticed the hopefulness hidden in the kind smile Tank was showering upon him. "Goddamn, I gotta tell you, I'm pretty excited to see what your capable of. If Morpheus is right and all."

_Oh great, _Neo thought bitterly to himself, realizing at once where this conversation was taking him, _just what I need right now. More pressure._

"We're not supposed to talk about this, but-" Tank continued, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement. "If you are....damn, it's a very exciting time."

Neo frowned, unsure of how to take this. He thought of all the people living underground in the hopes that someday, the war would end and they could live in peace. All the people depending on him to save them. How was he supposed to do that if he was still having trouble looking out for himself? He couldn't lead an entire race on his own...he was just one man. A nobody, with no special powers or abilities. And if he failed, if he let everyone down....this was just too much. Not only did he have to deal with recovering from the shock of knowing that everything he thought was real is a lie, but also coping with having to be some sort of hero.

_Maybe I shouldn't focus on being the One right now. _Neo decided. _Like Trinity said, I should just try to get over jacking out of the Matrix by staying in a positive frame of mind before I worry about anything else._

"We got a lot to do." Tank said, breaking Neo from his thoughts. "We better get to it."

Trinity awoke at a surprisingly late hour of the day. This was unusual, since she was always the first person up on the ship, waking before the lights even turned on. She had programmed her body to do this so she could avoid eating breakfast with the rest of the crew, and also so she could get a head start on her day's work.

She figured her tardiness came from spending almost the entire night sitting in the Mess Hall and engaging in conversation with whoever came by, but using most of the time to sit alone and think about Neo.

"Why does he have to be so damn attractive?" She said aloud, lying back amongst the blankets on her bed. "I hardly know him, unless you count all the times I watched him in the Matrix. Yet somehow, I feel like I know him so well."

One thing was certain. If she _was _meant to fall in love with the One, she was glad it was prophesized to be him.

_Wait, does that mean I'm actually admitting to myself that I love him? _Trinity shook her head fiercely in denial. "No, all I'm saying is that if it was a choice between him and Cypher, I sure am glad that it's him."

Pushing the mound of tangled blankets aside, Trinity swung her legs over the bed and jammed her feet into her boots. In her exhaustion last night when she had finally retreated to her room, she hadn't even bothered to take off her over-shirt and was still fully dressed in the clothes she had worn yesterday.

As she made her way to the door of her room, Trinity raised a hand to her hair, feeling how tangled and disheveled it felt against her fingers. She had never really bothered much with her appearance in the real world since she had much more on her mind other than fashion. But now, she felt conscious of her work-worn attire and disheveled hair, realizing it had been three days since she had last taken a shower.

Turning and hurrying back to her bed, Trinity rummaged through the nets that hung on the wall beside it, searching for bathroom supplies. She paused halfway through her raid as the not-so-absurd idea popped into her mind.

_Am I so bothered with my appearance now because Neo is on board the ship? Am I making an effort to look nice simply because I want to impress him? _Trinity shook her head once more to dismiss these thoughts. "Of course not. I'm not trying to look nice for him; I want to look nice for me. I'm the only person I ever bother worrying about anyway."

She didn't have much choice when it came to clothes. Overall, she only owned two pairs of pants, two over-shirts, one under-shirt and a few pairs of underwear. Since her current outfit was the cleanest, she had no choice but to wear it. At least she could do something about her hair. Taking the supplies in hand, she made her way to the nearest bathroom.

"Trinity," Switch exclaimed as Trinity entered the Mess Hall. "Where have you been? No one has seen you all day."

Trinity shrugged, refusing to answer Switch properly as she squished onto the single seat at the end of the table. Dozer, who was closest to the food taps, leaned over to get her a bowl and pushed it across the table towards her. Accepting it with a grateful nod to Dozer, Trinity gazed briefly around the room before realizing that four crew members were missing: Morpheus, Tank, Mouse and Neo.

Morpheus's absence hardly bothered her. The captain never ate with the rest of the crew anyway. But Mouse never missed an opportunity to talk everyone else senseless, nor had Tank ever missed a meal. But what really unnerved her was Neo's lack of presence. Had something happened to him? Had Morpheus overestimated Neo's strength capacity and had Neo collapsed from lack of energy?

"Where's Neo?" Trinity finally asked, trying and failing not to sound too worried.

"Why the hell should you care?" Cypher scowled, jealousy and anger entwined with each word.

"Neo's still in training." Dozer said. "Tank has been operating for him, and Mouse has been pretty keen to watch."

"How long has he-have they been at it?" Trinity asked anxiously, deciding to change her choice of words accordingly.

"About ten hours." Switch replied, the corners of her lips twitching into a smile at Trinity's obvious attention to Neo. "Without a break."

"Shit." Trinity muttered under her breath. Morpheus was definitely pushing him hard. Trinity wasn't sure how much more of this Neo would be able to take.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much." Cypher said with a slimy smirk. "If Neo's meant to be able to stop an army of agents, then a couple of training programs shouldn't be too much of a problem. Right, Trin?"

"Trin?" Said Switch, becoming alert at the sound of the unfamiliar name.

"Just thought it was about time our second-in-command found herself a nickname." Cypher shrugged idly, pushing his empty bowl aside.

"You call me that name again, and my foot will magically find its way to your ass." Trinity scathed, casting him her most terrifying look as the others tried to hold in a laugh.

"Maybe I should go and take Tank's shift so he and Mouse can come and get something to eat." Dozer suggested.

"Hell no." Apoc ordered, almost threateningly. "Don't spoil the one opportunity I have to spend some time without Mouse getting in my way. So let's all just sit in silence and enjoy our chance for a peaceful meal while we have it."

Unfortunately, Apoc's 'peaceful meal' only lasted twenty minutes. The door flew open suddenly to reveal an excited and hyperactive Mouse. Trinity didn't have to wait long to have an answer to her unvoiced question.

"Morpheus is fighting Neo!" Mouse exclaimed, turning and dashing back towards the core again.

Trinity got to her feet so quickly that the chair she had been sitting on toppled to the floor. She burst out of the Mess Hall, reaching Mouse and a matter of seconds and shoving him aside so she could reach the core first, hearing the others scramble around behind her and all the while running things through her head.

Morpheus is fighting Neo already? But fighting Morpheus in the dojo is usually one of the last tests of your training! In order to even stand a chance against Morpheus, Neo would have had to begin his Combat Training. But we all know that you're supposed to start with the operation programs first. He has been in training for the past ten hours, but that's hardly enough time to upload all the operation programs into is mind as well as enough combat skills to make him strong enough to fight Morpheus. This is insane!

Finally arriving in the core, Trinity paused in shock at the site on the screen in front of her. As the others filed in around her, pushing her aside so they could better see the screens themselves, she felt as if her heart had been lodged in her throat, preventing her from even voicing her earlier thoughts.

None of the others seemed to care that Neo had obviously spent the last ten hours in Combat Training when he was supposed to only be on operation programs. This was most likely because they were all equally impressed with the amazing movements he was pulling off. He was doing things in the dojo that Trinity had even thought of attempting until much later in her training.

"Jesus Christ he's fast." Mouse exclaimed excitedly, his hands fluttering to a screen to the left. "T-take a look at his neural kinetics, they're way above normal!"

Trinity's emotions were a mixed blur as she watched the fight. Each time Morpheus hit his opponent, she cringed with both anger and a senseless pain, as if the captain had been hurting her instead. Each time Neo came close to finally landing a punch on Morpheus, she felt an alarming large sense of pride and happiness, only to have it demolished when Morpheus blocked the oncoming attack. This was mingled with both fear for Neo, and anger with Tank for ignoring the proper training procedure, leaving her disoriented and anxious.

When Morpheus defeated Neo in the first round, she felt Cypher's eyes on the back of her neck, and yet refused to turn her head, too intent on watching the screens. She immediately felt relief seep over her: at least she wouldn't have to endure the scene any longer. However, the relief did not come without disappointment. Secretly, she had been hoping that perhaps Neo would be able to defeat Morpheus, although her rational mind knew that it was virtually impossible. But if he had been able to...if he had been able to prove that he was the One...

Unfortunately, Morpheus commanded they fight again, washing away the relief in Trinity's being and letting fear reclaim her. Amazingly, the fought even better the second time, compared to the first. Even so, this did not give Trinity any more comfort. At least not until Neo finally succeeded in landing a punch squarely in Morpheus's face.

"I don't believe it." Mouse gasped in awe, voicing the very thoughts that were consuming the minds of his crewmates.

Tank began to prepare to jack the pair out when Morpheus shouted in a commanding voice to Tank. He wanted to take Neo straight to the jump program. Shooting an anxious glance in Trinity's direction, Tank changed his typing pattern.

"No," Trinity cried, finally finding her voice. "Tank, you can't.... he's not ready for that yet. You were only supposed to take him through the operation programs today. Why did you start on combat training?"

"I wanted to see what he's capable of." Tank murmured apologetically. "Come on, Trinity. Don't tell me that you're not as excited to see this as the rest of us."

Nodding grimly, Trinity folded her arms across her waist. _Tank is right. If Neo makes this jump, it's almost certain that he is the One. If he doesn't..._

"What if he makes it?" Mouse asked, gnawing on his fingernails anxiously.

"No one's ever made their first jump." Tank reasoned, stretching over to reach the other keypad.

"I know, I know." Mouse replied. "But what if he does?"

"He won't." Apoc said sternly with a shake of his head.

As Neo prepared for the jump, Trinity felt her heart catch in her throat again as her stomach clenched in anticipation and she silently willed him to make it. Why, she hardly knew herself. Most likely it was because she knew that, as she convinced herself before, if she was meant to love anyone, she sure as hell hoped it would be him.

"Come on," Mouse begged.

"Come on." Trinity repeated in a voice no louder than a whisper, urging him to make it.

He jumped. He fell. Part of her knew he would, but that still didn't improve the situation or ease the hurt coursing through her at the moment. Her heart had slipped from her throat, but had fallen into the pit of her stomach with depression and disappointment holding it down. Tears began to swell in the corners of her eyes as Tank prepared to jack the pair out. Afraid the others would notice the state she was in, Trinity hurried away, retreating to the safety of her room.

_He isn't the One. Morpheus got it wrong. I got it wrong. This is what I get for putting trust in my heart._

Arriving in her room, Trinity collapsed onto her bed, allowing salty tears to spill down her cheeks as she wept into her pillow. Although she had been unplugged for eleven years, this was the first time she had allowed herself to cry in the real world. The tears stung her eyes and pasted strands of hair to her damp cheeks

She knew how childlike she must have appeared to anyone who opened her door. Finally calming her emotions, Trinity huddled against the wall, tucking herself in blankets and moving her head into a drier place on the pillow. She hardly noticed the door open and the sound of boots plodding softly across the floor towards her.

"Trinity." Said a gentle voice as a hand rested upon her back. Drying her eyes with the sleeves of her over-shirt, Trinity swiveled around in her bed to see Switch standing over her, concern etched into her eyes.

"Is Neo ok?" Trinity questioned, relieved to see that her voice has regained its usual strength.

"He's exhausted." Switch grinned. "After you left, he sat up in the chair in shock because of the blood in his mouth. After Morpheus told him that if he died in the Matrix, he'd die here, he tried to stand up and nearly collapsed. Morpheus had Apoc take Neo to his room and no one's seen him since."

"Why are you here?" Trinity muttered, sitting up and pushing away the blankets covering her.

"I came to make sure you were alright." Switch frowned. "And also, I came here to apologize. When you told me that you were meant to fall in love with the One, I only focused on the advantages it would have for us in the war. I forgot to think about how you might be feeling. I know what it's like to be told that you're going to fall in love. It's terrifying because you know that you don't really have any choice in the matter and you're worried you'll fall for the wrong man. It must be even worse for you, because every time we free a new mind, you're worried that this person could be the One. You're scared to get close to anyone until you know for certain if they are the One or not. You must have feelings for Neo- yes, I can tell so don't even try to hide it- but if he's not the One, you're scared of heartbreak. If he is, you're scared of loving him."

"I don't know how to be in love." Trinity confessed. "Frankly, I don't know what it is because I've never experienced it before. So how will I know when I'm in love or not? My only clue is the prophecy. But, as Tank said, I don't want to love someone for their title."

"Exactly." Switch sighed. "I was putting too much pressure on you. You might even say I was trying to force you into loving Neo so that we could be sure we'd found the One. I want this war to be over so badly that it was all I could think about. I forgot to even consider what my words might mean for you. I'm sorry, Trinity, I really am."

"It isn't your fault." Trinity said sadly. "And it doesn't matter anyway. He fell. Neo isn't the One."

"So what?" Switch cried irritably. "Everyone falls the first time, whether they are the One or not. Even you fell, and you're one of the strongest people I know. There isn't one person alive today who has been able to make that jump. And considering he's only been unplugged for about a week, I think he's doing pretty damn good. Didn't you see him fighting Morpheus in the dojo?"

Trinity nodded, grinning despite the sadness lurking in her eyes.

"I rest my case." Switch finished, folding her arms across her chest. "Now, are you hungry or what?"

"No, not really." Trinity answered meekly.

"I bet Neo will be when he wakes up." Switch smirked. "Why don't you go and bring him something to eat?"

Trinity approached Neo's door, pausing outside briefly to run a hand across the metal, bathing in the knowledge that he lay behind the barrier of steel that held them apart. Pushing the door open with one hand, and using the other to balance the tray nursing a bowl of goop, a spoon and a mug of water, Trinity crept into the room as silently as she could.

Neo lay on his stomach; his limbs sprawled out across the bed. He had obviously moved in sleep after Apoc had escorted him to his room, as he lay tangled in blankets with his feet, still encased in boots, uncovered and drenching the sheets around him in dirty scuff marks. His left arm had fallen from the bed, hanging limply over the side and his head was turned away from the wall, eyelids locked over his eyes in sleep and his lips parted slightly, allowing ragged breath to escape them.

Crouching beside the bed, Trinity placed the tray on the floor and prepared to leave. But as she lifted her head, she caught sight of his face, masked in an aura of exhaustion and bitter cold. With only his stubble of hair and careful breathing, his innocence captivated her and only seemed to bring her closer to him in a way she couldn't explain. It was as if now, her only desire was to sit and watch him.

Resting her arms on her bent knees, Trinity smiled softly to herself at the peacefulness that seemed to surround him, the comfort he gave her by simply being in her presence. She didn't know how long she stayed there, watching his chest heave as he breathed and taking in the unique scent that only he seemed to posses. All she knew was that, when she finally stood to leave with trembling legs, that there was definitely something about him, a quality that he and no other seemed to own.

_Am I feeling like this because I love him? _She wondered. _Maybe, maybe not. I suppose only time will tell. And I have all the time in the world._

As she shut the door to Neo's room carefully, the warmth and peacefulness in her eyes evaporated when she saw what awaited her on the other side. Cypher leaned against the wall, grinning almost idiotically and moving towards her in a slithery fashion.

"I don't remember you ever brining _me _dinner." Cypher said slimily, moving against Neo's door and tracing it with his own fingers.

_Me? Bring you dinner? Don't make me laugh. _Trinity scowled but said nothing, merely waiting to see where this conversation would lead. Cypher, who had followed Trinity silently when he noticed her heading to Neo's room with a tray, was struggling not to appear hurt when he saw the look of love consuming her eyes when she locked them on Neo's sleeping form. He now knew what she mightn't have known herself. She was already in love with him.

"There's something about him isn't there?" Cypher sighed, trying to provoke her into forming the dreaded words herself.

"Don't tell me you're a believer now." Trinity replied in a tone that wasn't her own. She almost, dare Cypher even think it, spoke girlishly. However, he was too frustrated to daunt on this. This was not the response he had wanted to arise from her, as what he was speaking of now had nothing to do with the One whatsoever.

"I just keep wondering. If Morpheus is so sure, why doesn't he take him to see the Oracle?" Cypher questioned sinisterly.

"Morpheus will take him when he's ready." Trinity folded her arms across her chest, still upholding that foolish voice she seemed to reserve souly for Cypher. Turning on her heel, Trinity marched away, the skin on the back of her beck prickling when she left his eyes following her.

Once Trinity was gone, Cypher's smirk faded and he kicked Neo's door in rage, sending a pang echoing throughout the ship's hall. He stormed away, cursing to himself brutally, arriving at his own room and falling against the wall.

She's falling for him fast. If I don't do something about it soon, I'll loose her forever...


	5. The boiler

A/N: Oops...hehehehe. Anyone who knows me will know that I am a really hopeless speller. Nebuchadnezzar- I'll try and remember that. Thanks for the advice everyone who told me how to spell it.

5

"OH SHIT!" A voice screamed, its sound rebounding off the walls of the ship and running down the corridors of the Nebuchadnezzar.

Moments later, the rest of the crew had traced the scream to the bathroom, where Switch was standing outside the hall, a ragged towel wrapped around her naked form. Raising their eyebrows in uncertainty, the rest of the crew exchanged shifty glances, all except Mouse who's eyes were focused squarely on Switch.

"What the hell are you staring at, you little pervert?" Switch bellowed, holding the towel against her tightly. "All of you get the hell out of here!"

"Switch, what's wrong?" Trinity asked with concern.

"What do you think, Trinity?" Tank laughed. "The woman's naked in front of a crew made up of men."

"And what am I, a sentinel?" Trinity frowned, not even bothering to look to Tank. "Switch, what's the problem?"

"The shower water suddenly started coming out cold, that's all." Switch answered, glaring at Mouse who had still not torn his eyes away from her. "I think something's wrong with the boiler."

"Someone should go and check it out, then." Morpheus ordered. "Trinity, Cypher."

Trinity nodded, despite immediate depression at the promise of spending an entire day in Cypher's company, but before she could leave, Neo called out to Morpheus.

"I can help." Neo suggested, feeling all eyes fall upon him immediately.

He had always hated feeling useless, and wanted to prove himself on board the ship. After his embarrassing failure in the jump program yesterday, he felt as if he needed to do something to gain a good reputation. Besides...how could he pass up the opportunity to work alongside Trinity?

"Neo, you need to focus on your training." Morpheus reasoned.

"I feel like I need to do something worthwhile." Neo said, staring fixedly at his boots. "It will give me a chance to build up my strength in this world anyway. T-there's so much I don't know about this world yet. I want to know everything."

"I suppose increasing your strength in this world is important too." Morpheus sighed. "Alright, Neo. You can take a break from your training today in order to help Trinity repair the boiler. Cypher, go with them as well."

"Yes, sir." Cypher said eagerly, sticking his tongue out seductively when only Trinity was watching, causing her to stomach to flip over in disgust.

"Apoc, could you get your girlfriend to put some clothes on, please?" Tank joked once Morpheus had left. "I think Mouse has seen enough of her legs to last a lifetime."

"Hey, I wasn't-" Mouse defended, unsure of how to finish the sentence anyway.

"Shut up, Mouse." Apoc commanded as Trinity lead Neo and Cypher towards the boiler room.

_At least I don't have to do this alone with Cypher. _Trinity thought to herself as she reached the boiler room, throwing the door open to reveal a large, blood red machine with steam erupting from a small hole in the top. While Neo stared at the consol in awe, Trinity's attention had already found its way to the large hole to the side of it, also spurting steam at an insanely large pace.

"There's the problem." Cypher pointed, stating the obvious.

"Cypher, get me some tools from the main deck." Trinity commanded.

"Neo can go." Cypher requested as lightly as he could.

"I asked you to go." Trinity scathed, but Neo interrupted before Cypher could retort.

"It's ok. I can get it." Neo turned to leave before pausing at the door, scratching the back of his head in nervousness. "Err...what do you need exactly?"

"Just bring anything you can find that looks useful." Trinity replied, trying not to sound too disappointed in being left alone with Cypher and not Neo.

As soon as Neo was gone, Cypher advanced upon Trinity, smiling darkly. "You know, you have a lot of things in common with this boiler."

_We're both monstrously ugly and erupt with steam whenever we get pissed off? _Trinity thought to herself, but outwardly choose not to reply to Cypher's strange comment.

"You're both broken." Cypher sneered. "And you're both hot."

"I'm not broken, Cypher." Trinity mumbled, deliberately looking away and focusing on the task at hand.

"Yes you are." Replied Cypher, advancing on her from behind until she could feel his warm breath tickling her neck. "The more you deny what you most need, the more damage you'll be doing to your own soul. Everyone needs love, Trin. Don't try to fight it. Give into your temptations."

He leaned further into her neck but Trinity pulled away sharply, turning to face him with anger in her eyes. Luckily for Cypher, Neo burst into the room and dumped a tray of tools onto the floor beside the boiler.

"Thanks, Neo." Trinity said, unable to resist showering him in a kind smile. Neo grinned sheepishly in reply while Cypher felt as if his blood was literally boiling within his skin.

"Right, now what?" Cypher questioned rudely, kicking the boiler with frustration. "This piece of junk ain't gonna fix itself."

"We need to turn the water off completely." Said Trinity. "Cypher, climb onto the top and twist the wheel that will turn it off. Neo, you'll be helping me."

"Neo can turn the wheel." Cypher argued.

"Cypher," Trinity frowned. "Just do it. I'm not in the mood for this shit."

"Whatever." Cypher shrugged, reaching into the tool box and pulling out a wrench before climbing atop the boiler. Trinity pulled the rest of the tool box beside her and crouched beside the hole, awaiting the steam to be turned off.

"So this thing heats up all the water on board the ship for showers and stuff?" Neo asked, crouching beside Trinity who was now fumbling through the toolbox.

"Yes. It also helps to reduce the cold and make the ship warmer for the crew." Trinity replied, somehow managing to stop her voice from quavering.

"Obviously it doesn't work too well then." Neo grinned as the surrounding steam evaporated. He traced his fingers across the top of the hole, avoiding the jagged edges. "How do you think it happened?"

"I don't know." Trinity said truthfully. "It's possible that the boiler overheated and the sides melted gradually over a long period of time. But the edges are jagged, almost as if they've been broken through with something."

"You mean someone purposely broke the boiler?" Asked Neo.

"Or accidentally. I'm not sure." Trinity shrugged, already straining under the heat of the boiler room. Eventually, she decided the heat would be much more bearable if she removed her over-shirt.

The reaction, in Trinity's frame of mind, as she pulled her over-shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor, was definitely not predictable. Cypher was sneering from the top of the boiler, watching her with a sinister glint glittering in his eye. Neo's jaw had literally dropped slightly, his large dark eyes widening in awe. Trinity merely frowned at the pair of them, turning back to her work.

_Why are they looking at me like that? I'm not beautiful or anything. I'm covered in plugs after all. _She asked herself, beknownst to the fact that the thoughts currently revolving around Neo's mind were almost completely different.

_She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen..._

"I've almost got the water off." Said Cypher. "I'll go tell the others that there isn't gonna be any hot water for a while, then."

"Right." Trinity nodded as Cypher leapt off the boiler and left the room reluctantly. Turning her attentions back to Neo once he was gone, Trinity knelt beside the hole and studied it briefly. "Neo, I'm going to have to weld the edges together, which means it's going to get even hotter in here soon. You think you'll be ok?"

Neo considered this for a moment, then gripped the hem of his tattered shirt and lifted it over his head, dropping it to the floor beside Trinity's. Now it was Trinity's turn to blush, as she turned away from him hurriedly feeling her cheeks change to a vibrant shade of red.

"Erm...is there a problem?" Neo asked innocently, now regretting removing his shirt in the first place.

"No, everything's fine." Trinity replied, finally gaining the courage to look at him directly. His muscles were still weak and feeble since he'd hardly been using them, his skin still pale from lack of sunshine and the plugs on his chest were evident against his skin. Yet still, she found that now she was focused squarely upon the man in front of her, she simply couldn't tear her eyes away from him again.

"Um....maybe we should start work." Neo suggested, uncertain if capturing Trinity's attention was a _good _thing or not.

"Right." Trinity mumbled, however still unable to tear away from Neo's bare chest. "Work."

The door flung open and Cypher barged into the room noisily, immediately recognizing the situation at hand. Trinity's roaming eyes could only mean one thing, at least in his frame of mind.

"Did you tell the others, Cypher?" Neo asked innocently, turning to face the man he addressed. Trinity, however, hardly registered Cypher's presence at all, not even attempting to face him.

"Of course I told them." Cypher spat, snatching the wrench in his hand and climbing back atop the boiler.

"What are you doing?" Neo asked curiously.

"I have to turn off the water completely." Was Cypher's only reply as he turned his back to the others and busied himself with the wheel atop the boiler. Neo felt a shiver trace down his spine: there was something sinister in the way Cypher addressed him.

Reclaiming her senses, Trinity knelt beside the hole once more, although her eyes hardly left Neo for a moment. This only caused Neo to become more anxious than ever, and he clumsily dropped the welding mask and the weld when Trinity asked him to hand them to her. As the weld clattered to the floor, both instantly reached for it, and Neo's fingers slipped atop fingers that did not belong to him. Slender, delicate, feminine fingers that were warm from the boilers heat, with beads of sweat clinging to the sides of them.

"Sorry." He mumbled, feeling the fingers twitch beneath his own as he met eyes with their owner, still watching him intently with a penetrating stare. Despite his apology, Neo failed to remove his hand, and yet Trinity seemed not to object as she savored the warmth lingering in his clammy hand, resting comfortingly above her own.

From above the two, Cypher watched the display with nothing other than bitter dislike as his hand tightened around the wrench. From above, he saw it all. The desire and passion engulfing Trinity's stony ice eyes, only matched by the love and admiration returned in Neo's soft brown gaze. Perhaps the pair hardly recognized what they had, although it was painfully obvious to any who witnessed. What made matters worse, was that they themselves did not yet see their own love for each other.

Such emotion filled Cypher's being, jealousy....sadness....pain, but the strongest was anger. The burning rage that made his blood boil beneath his skin, putting a red tinge into his cheeks and not because of the heat issuing from the boiler. No longer able to hold his rage at bay any longer, Cypher ripped the wrench from the wheel and tossed it, hurtling towards the man bellow him.

Neo couldn't have known what was in stall for him. How could he, when he spared no attention for anything other than the 'Dark Angel' in front of him? His only warning was the rush of air beside his right ear a spilt second before metal clashed with his shoulder in a strong thud. Immediately, pain seeped throughout his entire body, issuing from his right shoulder from which he was struck. The pain was almost unbearable, and he instantly lowered himself to the ground, grasping his shoulder and crying out in agony.

"Neo!" Trinity cried, moving quickly to his side and putting her hand to his shoulder, eyes filled with concern as she met his, which were clouded with pain and lined with silvery tears he was struggling to keep away. Whispering quietly, she asked. "Are you ok?"

"I've been better." Neo smiled despite his injury. Trinity smiled feebly herself, blinking wide eyes that enraptured him so, as he saw the beauty within her soul reflected on the surface of the glittering blue crystal colour, shimmering in her eyes which were wide with deepest concern.

Tearing away from her reluctantly, Neo raised his eyes to try and find the source of his injury, only to see Cypher peering over the edge of the boiler, smirking slimily. Following his eyes, Trinity's own narrowed when she saw the look on Cypher's face. A look he tried and failed to hide.

"My finger slipped." Cypher said sourly, shrugging in tune with his words. He could tell merely be the anger reflected in Trinity's eyes that she was unconvinced.

_Yeah right. _Trinity thought bitterly. _What's his problem anyway? Does he like to see others in pain? Has he made a sport of it or something? _

"What? It was an accident!" Cypher retorted, jumping beside the pair and patting Neo on the back sharply. "Sorry Neo, man."

"It's alright." Neo mumbled, still holding his hand over the bruise forming on his shoulder. The wrench had been hot from touching the wheel of the boiler, and Neo was sure he had been burnt as well.

"I better take you to the Med Bay." Said Trinity worriedly, stepping forward and taking Neo's arm, causing Cypher to cringe with envy while both Neo and Trinity stiffened at the touch. Looking into his eyes once more, Trinity tugged him forward slightly. "Come on."

_I was trying to have revenge, but it looks like it backfired. _Cypher scowled. _Trinity only seems to be more interested in him than before. If anything, my hurting of Neo just made them stronger. How the hell could I let that happen?_

As Neo reached the door, experiencing tension as Trinity clung to his left arm, he glanced over his shoulder to see an enraged Cypher. Naively, he ignored Cypher's loathing, paying more attention to the unfinished job on the boiler.

"Cypher, can you finish up here?" Neo asked innocently, coaxing his head to the side.

"Oh sure, I'll do it, pretty boy." Cypher scathed. "And I'll do it with my shirt _ON_!"

(o)

"Why was Cypher so angry with me before?" Neo asked as Trinity helped him onto one of the tables in the Med Bay.

"I don't know." Trinity answered truthfully. "If anything, you should be angry with him for dropping that wrench on you. C-can I take a look?"

Nodding, Neo removed his hand. Trinity flinched when she saw the large purple-blue bruise that had formed on his shoulder, framed with a pinkish burn.

"Shit. That bastard." Trinity cursed under her breath, but said aloud. "I'll get some ice for that, ok?"

Neo nodded again, watching her move away to fetch what she needed. Every movement she made captivated him. She was so graceful...and yet so powerful and strong, moving swiftly with an air of feminine beauty.

_That's what I'd call it. _Neo smiled to himself as he watched her advance on him again. _Beauty in strength._

It was Neo's turn to flinch when Trinity pressed the ice (wrapped in a ragged towel) against his wounded skin. Trinity couldn't help flinching too, disliking seeing him in such pain, especially when she was its cause. Ever since she was granted the task of "de-bugging" him, she had known that his pain would also be her own.

"Hold that there for a moment." She instructed, moving back to the benched set behind the bed. "Do you want something to ease the pain?"

"As long as it isn't one of those IV bags." Neo frowned. Trinity shook her head, moving back to him with bandages and two greenish tablets. For a moment, his eyes flickered with uncertainty. But it was hard for anyone, especially Neo, not to trust the Nebuchadnezzar's second-in-command.

"Take these." She ordered, handing him the tablets and a mug of water. "It'll help, don't worry. But it will make you a little drossy. Is your shoulder numb yet?"

"I think so." Neo held the ice away. At once, Trinity began to rub poultice into the inflamed skin, Neo unable to deny he enjoyed her fingers fluttering across his skin. Once this was done, she wrapped it tightly in a banged, clasping it together with tape.

"That should to it." Trinity moved away as Neo swallowed the tablets she'd given him.

"Thank you, Trinity." Neo smiled warmly, pushing himself off the table. "I-I should get some sleep."

"Good idea." Trinity nodded, busying herself with packing away the medical supplies. She listened to the sounds of his boots clunking against the metal floor as he reached the door, and pulled it open with a squeak.

"Good night, Trinity." Neo said from the door in a tone of deepest sincerity.

"Good night, Neo." Trinity replied as he shut the door and hurried back to his room.


	6. Swordplay

A/N: Looking back over my previous chapter, I can see why Cypher may have appeared a little out of character. But that scene was a must-do in my opinion! I do pride myself on keeping characters as true to life as possible. Sorry if I slipped up a little then. By the way, this chapter rips of the Animatrix a bit....ok, heaps. But I really REALLY wanted to do this bit cause it's so cute! So yeah....just warning you that I am ripping off something else.

6

Because of his shoulder injury, Neo earned himself a week off his training. This was both to his benefit and to his disadvantage since he hated feeling useless, but also enjoyed the free time, which he spent sitting alone in his room mostly, running things through his head.

During this thinking period, he realized that he had only eaten one proper meal since his arrival in the real world, and that was when he had awoken to find some strange substance lying in a bowl beside his bed, along with a mug of water. He had only picked at the food, which meant he really hadn't eaten a proper meal at all. However, he scarcely had any appetite. Neo figured this must have something to do with only being unplugged a short time ago.

These and many other thoughts occurred to him as he sat alone in the darkness of his room, awaiting his shoulder to heal. He left his room to drink and use the bathroom only. He had always felt he was the sort of person who needed to spend quite some time alone, and savored this time while he had it. After a full week had past, and the wound on his shoulder had subsided into a minor bruise, he resumed his training again.

"Neo!" Tank cried, when Neo entered the core after a week of being absent from it. "Feeling better?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Neo smiled, nodding in greeting to both Tank and Dozer. "I'm ready to continue my training, if you are."

"Yeah, sure." Tank beamed. "What else is there to do?"

"Tank," said Dozer sternly. "I'm going to get Morpheus and ask him which programs he wants Neo to run through today."

"Whatever." Tank replied, hardly looking away from the screens as Dozer marched away. The moment his elder brother was gone, Tank turned to Neo once more, a wide grin spread across his face.

"So, care to tell me how you got that injury? Trinity hasn't said anything to anyone except Morpheus and Cypher seems to be following her lead. I know that you hurt your shoulder, what I want to know is _how _it happened."

"Oh...err," Neo mumbled, scratching the back of his head with his right hand: his own expression of nervousness. "Cypher dropped a wrench, that's all."

"Ouch." Tank cringed. "You gotta be more careful, man."

Neo peered over Tanks shoulder, becoming entranced by the neon raindrops of coding dripping down three separate screens in the operator's consol. "What's that?" He asked with interest.

"Don't worry about it yet, newbie." Tank said with a laugh, causing Neo to frown. Tank arched an eyebrow, leaning back in his char. "Hey, what's with the long face?"

"I-I'm just getting a little annoyed." Neo confessed. "I mean, I hate not knowing things. And there's so much I don't know about this world. It's almost as if everyone here is reluctant to tell me things about this world and what they're doing. It just bugs me, that's all."

"Neo, you're not the first newbie we've had on this ship." Tank said. "Everyone has had to explain the basic principals of this world so many times now, it just gets aggravating. People are reluctant to repeat what is common knowledge over and over again, even if they're telling it to the One."

"I suppose." Neo smiled feebly, trying to ignore the last comment Tank made about him being the One.

"Trust me, one day there'll be a _new _newbie, and you'll have to explain everything to them. Then you'll realize just how irritating it can be."

At that moment, Morpheus, Dozer and Trinity ascended onto the main deck and joined Tank and Neo in the core, gathering around the main consol. Morpheus placed a fatherly hand on Neo's shoulder, looking him squarely in the eye.

"Are you sure you're ok, Neo?" Morpheus questioned, continuing when Neo nodded in reply. "Excellent. I don't want to delay your training any longer than necessary. Now, you remember our fight in the dojo? Good. That sparring program is not a one-off training simulation, we use it whenever we need to practice combat training. Everyone on the ship has been assigned a specific sparring partner and the pair are aloud to spar whenever they feel they need to."

"Who's my sparring partner?" Asked Neo, glancing hopefully over Morpheus's shoulder to Trinity.

"Trinity has volunteered to do it." Morpheus said with a smile over his shoulder to his second-in-command.

"Good choice, sir." Tank said with a sly grin. "Trinity's probably the only one who'll be able to give Neo a run for his money on board this ship anyway. Just as long as she doesn't try to seduce him during a match-"

"Tank." Morpheus and Dozer warned in union. Although words were highly unnecessary to inform Tank that he had made the wrong decision in his choice of words. Trinity was gracing him with her iceberg-that-sunk-the-titanic look.

"Load them up." Morpheus instructed. "I'll be back to check on Neo's progress later."

After Morpheus had left, Neo and Trinity moved to their jack-in chairs and waited for Dozer to plug them in. Neo winced as the metal needle jammed into the back of his head, but found he was much more used to this than he had been before. Closing his eyes into darkness, Neo reopened them only to find himself standing in the dojo, dressed in the Japanese training outfit he'd been wearing last time he'd been in this program.

Almost instantly, Trinity appeared directly in front of him, dressed entirely in a rich shade of brilliant magenta. Her training outfit consisted of a short skirt that only came halfway down her thighs and a top cut in a similar style to Neo's, but with wider sleeves and lined with black. She stood with her legs together, one hand resting idly beside her and the other holding two silver swords, glinting in the artificial light.

"Tank took you through the dueling programs before your injury, didn't he?" Trinity asked, coaxing an eyebrow in question.

"Erm...I think so." Neo muttered, eyeing the swords nervously amongst dealing with intense feelings of passion brought on by the sight of Trinity in the clothes she wore.

Sighing, Trinity tossed one of the swords across the room. Instantly, Neo stretched out a hand and caught the handle by instinct. Gasping in shock as he flipped the sword around lightly in his hands several times, Neo marveled at his ability to handle such a weapon. It was like this each time a new program was loaded into his mind. The knowledge lay hidden in his mind, only to be unleashed when he was faced with a situation in which he would have to. And when that happened, he could scarcely believe he knew what to do almost instantly, as if his body was thinking for him, instead of his mind. As if his soul was commanding him, telling him what he needed to do....it was a strange feeling, but Neo managed to overcome it quickly and dropped into a fighting stance.

"I'll take that as a yes." Trinity stated, as she too, dropped into a graceful fighting stance. Neo compared her elegant movements to that of a eagle's. She moved swiftly, gracefully and with beauty interlocked with each stance. And yet her movements were powerful, fierce and deadly.

_Beauty in strength. _Neo thought to himself again, letting a smile creep onto his lips. He could have sworn he saw the corners of her lips flicker upwards briefly before she reclaimed her composure, but still leaving a playful nature hidden within her eyes.

_I can't fight him like this. _Trinity decided, admiring the man in front of her. For a newbie, her certainly new his stuff, and this was evident in each movement he made. But, as usual, it was his eyes that captivated her the most, and she simply couldn't tear herself from them. _I can't fight him without looking at him, but I can't avoid looking at him either...unless..._

Making up her mind, Trinity lifted her head to the virtual ceiling and called to seemingly an invisible presence. "Tank, we need blindfolds."

"Blindfolds?" Neo asked, rising from his fighting stance and looking to his opponent in confusion.

After a moments pause, two fragments of evenly cut cloth, one magenta and the other purest white, fluttered to the floor of the dojo and landed at the feet of the two in front of the correct person. Grinning, Trinity lifted hers from the floor and hurriedly tied it around her eyes, Neo choosing to follow her lead.

"I thought I'd make things a little more interesting." Trinity lied, dropping gracefully back into her fighting stance once she was certain the blindfold was secure around her eyes. "Are you ready?"

"Sure am." Neo smiled in reply, feeling confident without the use of his eyes. Like with other training programs loaded into his mind, he hardly felt the need to think about what he was doing and therefore felt he hardly needed his five senses. "Let's go."

As soon as the words had escaped his lips, Trinity lunged forwards and her sword flew towards him, clashing with his own in a terrifying pang. Praying she hadn't injured him, Trinity pulled back only to attack again, this time aiming for his left bicep but having her attack blocked by her opponent's blade.

_Whoa, she's brilliant. _Neo admired silently. _Tank was right, it looks like she's going to give me a run for my money. _

Neo leapt above her, flipping over her body and landing on the opposite side, jabbing the sword in the direction of her back. But Trinity was too quick for him, turning sharply to block this attack and following it with a stream of sweeping blows, causing him to back further and further towards the wall.

_Why did I agree to this in the first place? _Trinity asked herself, knowing perfectly well that she was holding back a little. _I can't fight him with my full strength...but, why not? Because I love him? Because I don't want to hurt him? No, that can't be right. But if I'm wrong, than what's the explanation for this? _

Ignoring oncoming ideas for the moment, Trinity swiped at his neck. Neo ducked seconds in advance, hearing Trinity's blade hack through the wooden column beside him. Sprinting back to the middle of the room, he heard her follow him and could almost see a mental projection of her in his mind, blocking the darkness that encircled him. The image was of her standing proudly, holding her swords aloft and with beads of sweat clinging to her worn face, wisps of ebony hair cascading down the sides of her cheeks.

Pushing these pleasant images aside, he continued to block her attacks, sneaking in several of his own when the opportunity arose. Eventually, he lunched such a swift blow that Trinity had no time to block it, and both heard the terrifying sound of ripping fabric, and garments spilled to the floor with a subtle _plop_.

Trinity let out a small gasp as her jacket slipped down her arms, trailing to the ground, All that covered her now was a strip of magenta cloth wrapped around her chest. Blushing at her own lack of clothing, and taking comfort in knowing that Neo was still blindfolded, Trinity kicked the ruined jacket aside and, acting as if nothing had happened, rose her sword once more.

However, wearing a blindfold was only making matters worse for Neo as he had no idea _where_ he had cut. _For all I know, she could be wearing nothing...bad thought, bad thought, bad thought. _Concentrating all his energy into the fight, Neo not only attacked with his virtual body, but with his mind, soul and inner spirit, provoking Trinity into releasing all power she had held back and, blocking out all emotion, she attacked him with an equal sense of power and inner strength.

Swords clashed and sweat mingled as blades were brought dangerously close to skin. Meeting weapons in a final horrifying pang in front of their faces, both leaned forwards in order to put emphasis on their blows, but realized instantly that this had been a bad decision.

Trinity breathed in the musky sent issuing from the body in front of her, a scent she had taken delight in when she visited him in his room when he began his training. Not even the blindfold incasing her eyes could unconvince her that the man she fought so diligently was Neo. She could almost taste his sweat, hear the beating of his heart thudding in his chest, see his outline through the darkness of her blindfold, touch the clammy fingers wrapped around his own sword, and feel a shiver trace down her spine. All reason had long since drifted from her mind, leaving her with only one remaining variable as she leaned further towards him. All five of her senses were alert...and she liked it.

Neo was suffering from similar symptoms. Her body was pressing up against his as she moved her sword against his own. He listened to the sounds of her ragged breathing, followed the blissful noise and traced her unique scent until he found her lips and felt her breath tickle his face. He too had forgotten all that surrounded him, including the darkness that circled him. His lips were centimeters from hers now...all he had to do was lean forward a few inches and he would be kissing her. At this new knowledge, his hands tightened around his sword, still blocking her own attack just a few inches to his right.

Suddenly, he regained consciousness of all that was happening around him and remembered his location. No doubt Tank and Dozer were watching them. Tank was probably laughing his head off, and Neo felt his cheeks redden instantly. Dropping his sword, he pulled away from Trinity and tore the blindfold over his head, relieved to see that he hadn't cut off any clothing covering parts of her he definitely shouldn't see. Trinity wrenched her own blindfold off and blinked in confusion for a moment, before fixing Neo with a stony gaze and tossing her own sword aside.

_I'm an idiot. _Trinity thought bitterly to herself. _Why would he want to kiss me? I should have seen that coming...now I've only damaged what little friendship we had. What's worse is that Tank will give me hell for the rest of my life about this...who am I kidding? One or not, Neo could never love me. Goddamit, I don't even love him...do I?_

Neo's face was a brilliant shade of red, and Trinity supposed hers was even worse considering her severe lack of clothing. Raising her head to the ceiling, she commanded Tank jack them out and closed her eyes to feel her RSI lurch into darkness.

(o)

"I saw that." Tank whispered in Trinity's ear as he jacked her out, a satisfied grin spread across his face. "You were inches away from kissing him. You probably would have if he hadn't pulled away. Go on, admit it. You've fallen in _lurve._"

"Shut it, Tank." Trinity muttered angrily, pushing the operator away from her so she could get to her feet.

"It's destiny, Trinity." Tank joked, pulling a face. "Don't try to deny it, woman. I can tell. You're gone."

Unfortunately for Trinity, Tank had forgotten to keep his voice lowered and Neo looked up from the chair beside her with interest as Dozer pulled the needle from his head. Feeling her body fill with rage, he turned to Tank and gripped his over-shirt firmly in her fist, meeting his eyes directly.

"If you tell anyone about what happened today I'll have to murder you, got it?" Trinity muttered fiercely, causing the smile to fade completely from Tank's face.

"Easy, easy." Tank defended, holding up his hands in protest. "I won't utter a word. It's our little secret."

"It better be." Trinity frowned, releasing her hold on him and stalking away.

"What's wrong with Trinity?" Asked Neo, following Dozer towards the younger operator and watching Trinity leave with confusion.

"Don't worry about it, Neo." Tank smiled. "Morpheus has plenty more for you to do, anyway. We better get to it."

(o)

Cypher made his way to the bathroom, carrying a tattered towel over his shoulder. He'd had a hard day, working diligently and coping with the cold air. In his opinion, he thought he deserved a good few hours in the shower. In fact, he thought that he deserved a bubble bath and a large piece of steak.

_Reality is fucked. _Cypher thought bitterly to himself. Those three words had been spinning through his mind ever since he'd been jacked out. Frankly, he didn't see why Morpheus bothered to unplug anyone. People were happy in the Matrix. The machines were happy with the Matrix. This way, everyone wins.

A muffled voice broke his train of thought. Peering down the corridor to the bathrooms, he noticed Neo exiting a bathroom, humming to himself.Smiling cynically when he saw the fading bruise on the other man's shoulder, Cypher prepared to make is presence known when the door opposite Neo sprung open suddenly and Trinity emerged in the hall.

Neo's rhythmic humming stopped abruptly and he smiled kindly as Trinity closed the door and focused on her boots rather than meeting his eyes. Neo stood rigidly in the center of the hall, swallowing loudly.

"Hi." He managed to say, still smiling feebly.

"Hi." Trinity repeated, finally meeting his eyes. Moving aside, she nodded to Neo before hurrying down the corridor in the opposite direction to Cypher.

_Right. _Cypher decided, rolling up his sleeves. _That's it. That's the last straw._

"Listen, pretty boy." Cypher scathed, advancing on the unsuspecting Neo in the corridor. "I think it's time you learnt something about Trinity."

"What?" Neo asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion as Cypher folded his arms across his waist.

"I can tell that you're interested in her." Cypher began. Neo opened his mouth to object but was cut off abruptly. "As _more _than just a friend. And don't try to cover it up. It's obvious, everyone sees it. But unfortunately for you, she's completely out of your reach."

"Huh?" Neo asked, baffled. He honestly had no idea what Cypher was on about.

"I'm sorry to be the one to brake this to you, Neo. But Trinity is very different to any other woman you'll ever meet."

_That's for sure. _Neo grinned.

"She's never had any sort of intimate relationship in this world or in the Matrix. You wanna know why?" Cypher didn't wait for a reply. "Trinity gives the meaning to the term 'Cold Hard Bitch'. She won't let anyone in easily. You're probably used to women swooning all over you in the Matrix, and it'll be the same when we take you to Zion. But don't expect Trinity to fall for you. She's cold, Neo. Real cold."

"Oh." Neo shrugged. He didn't see why Trinity's personal life should be his business.

"Sorry to tell you, man. But I would give up on her right now before things get out of hand and you end up broken hearted. If I were you, I'd find yourself another woman when we get to Zion. Leave Trinity to me." Neo raised an eyebrow in question, causing Cypher to smirk. "Yeah. Everyone knows that Trinity has the hots for me. She's just in denial. And it's very unlikely she'll ever come to reveal her feelings for me anyway, cause she's so cold. So do yourself a favor and forget about her, before you find yourself in an awkward situation."

"Um...ok." Neo shrugged again. After standing in awkward silence for a few minutes, he nodded curtly to Cypher and began the short walk back to his room.

For the first time in the real world, he'd been feeling in a good mood. But all happiness had flooded from his body after his meeting with Cypher.

_Trinity likes Cypher? Well that's certainly hard to imagine...but then again, he could be right...do I really flirt with her? Is it really that obvious?...Certainly, I do have some feelings for her, but as Cypher said, she's so cold an unemotional. She'd never be interested in me anyway, whether she really does love Cypher or not._

It seemed as if there was an endless list of things he had to consider now, as he reached is room and lay down upon his bed. Pulling the covers up to his chin, Neo's mind filled with images of Trinity fighting him in the dojo today. Smiling to himself and keeping these comforting images in his mind, Neo drifted into a comfortable sleep.


	7. Mess Hall

A/N: I like this chapter cause it's all in the one setting, just with different people coming in and out of it. I haven't done anything like this before, so tell me how I go. By the way, this chapter is dedicated to Kris cause she helped me come up with all the ideas for it.

7

Neo entered the Mess Hall the night after, his throat dry and longing for a drink of water. Seeing as it was considerably late in the night, he was surprised to find that the Mess Hall was anything but empty. Mouse, Tank, Apoc, Switch and Dozer were sitting at the table drinking some sort of alcohol and talking loudly. As he pressed a hand against the steel door, he heard his name mentioned amongst other things. And Trinity's. Pushing the door open with a creek, he became aware that the voices were stilled almost instantly.

"Neo!" Tank beamed, taking a swig from his mug. "Pull up a chair."

"Thanks." Neo said, dropping into a chair and pulling the blanket he had brought with him tighter around his shoulders.

"We were just talking about you, you know." Said Mouse from the seat beside Neo, breaking the single moment of silence.

"Well that's nice, isn't it?" Dozer scowled. "You don't _tell _someone if you were just talking about them, Mouse."

"I think you've convinced us all that you're the One, Neo. You've certainly made an impression on everyone here." Mouse continued, choosing to ignore Dozer for the time being.

"Yeah, especially Trinity." Tank said with a sly grin.

"Trinity?" Neo questioned, startled by Tank's sudden change of subject.

"If I'm not mistaken, I think she's left quite an impression on him as well." Switch smirked from across the table.

"I-I don't understand." Neo replied truthfully.

"Pretty naïve for someone who's supposed to save the world." Switch answered, lifting her mug to her lips to show that she no longer was going to reply.

"Hmm....Neo and Trinity." Mouse pondered. "A pretty good match if you think about it."

"Nothing is happening between Trinity and I." Neo said, a hint of sadness entwined with his words. "Apparently, she's in love with Cypher."

"With Cypher?" Tank snorted, collapsing into a fit of laughter, Switch and Mouse following his lead. Neo glanced between all of them in confusion, marveling at the fact that even Apoc and Dozer were finding it hard to keep a straight face.

"Who told you that, Neo?" Tank asked, after recovering from a laughing fit.

"Cypher did." Neo replied.

"Well that explains it." Tank said through a laugh. "The very idea that Trinity could be interested in Cypher is ridiculously hilarious."

"Why?" Asked Neo.

"Trinity has hated Cypher from the moment he stepped on board this ship." Switch informed him. "Her only feelings towards him would be that of utter loathing and hatred."

"Oh." Neo grinned, enjoying the sense of relief that was spreading through him as he secretly rejoiced in the new knowledge, only to have it overcome with sadness when he remembered the other things Cypher had told him. Perhaps these things weren't true either. "Cypher also said she's too cold to feel emotion"

"Now, I have to admit that's true." Tank frowned slightly, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "Trinity hasn't been with anyone since she was jacked out of the Matrix. As for inside the Matrix, I honestly couldn't tell you since no one really knows. But I strongly doubt that she has. I've known Trinity a long time, Neo, and I know that she can be pretty inhumane at times. But I gotta tell you...I've definitely seen some changes in her since you were unplugged."

Neo lowered his face, staring at his hands which were clutching the rim of his shirt and resting on the table. He seriously didn't know what to think now...he didn't want to hope for the best.

"You know," Mouse stated randomly, swinging on the back legs of his chair. "Trinity's actually pretty hot. I mean, she's no Woman in Red...." He leaned in next to Neo, whispering rather loudly. "But she's got legs to kill."

"And you would know this...how?" Switch questioned, raising an eyebrow and watching him witheringly. Mouse chose to ignore this question.

"Who's the Woman in Red?" Asked Neo wonderingly. Apoc shook his head in annoyance, preparing himself for the worst. Sure enough, Mouse's eyes widened and his jaw dropped to his neck.

"Y-You mean....Morpheus hasn't taken you through the agent training program yet?" Mouse asked in disbelief, gawking when Neo shook his head. "My God! T-That is simply unheard of! I'm gonna have to speak to Morpheus about this straight away-"

"Shut up, Mouse." Apoc muttered, hardly looking up.

"Well, I think I'm going to turn in." Neo said, getting to his feet. "Night, everyone."

"See ya, Neo!" Tank called brightly as Neo left the Mess Hall, turning back to the others once he was gone. "Nice guy, isn't he?"

"Still doesn't mean he's the One." Replied Apoc, also getting to his feet. "I think I'll get some sleep as well. Coming, Switch?"

"Later." Switch answered. Apoc nodded and strode out of the Mess Hall, followed shortly by Mouse and Dozer, who both had the night shift in the core, keeping an eye on the Matrix code and watching for sentinel activity. Only moments after they'd left, Trinity and Cypher replaced them and took their seats.

_Why do I always end up on shifts with Cypher? _Trinity asked herself, feeling in a foul mood after spending three hours alone in Cypher's company. She flopped into the empty seat beside Tank after getting herself a mug of water and watched moodily as Cypher took the seat opposite.

"Someone looks pretty put out." Said Tank, shaking Trinity roughly by the shoulder. "You look half asleep, Trinity. Maybe you should call it a day."

Trinity didn't reply, stewing in her own bad mood. She always felt this way after spending a day in Cypher's company and it had left her with a headache to accompany her exhaustion.

"See anything interesting?" Asked Switch, deciding to take the spotlight of Trinity for a moment by directing the question to Cypher instead.

"Depends how you define interesting." Cypher said idly. "A couple of celebrities got together in Hollywood for an after party after some award show, and a rich man was getting pissed cause his cleaner didn't turn up to clean his indoor pool. That's pretty much it, unless you count an eight year old taking out the trash as interesting."

"Neo used to help his landlady carry out her garbage when he was in the Matrix." Trinity said absent-mindedly, hardly aware that she'd spoken her last thought aloud. Switch and Tank exchanged smiles from across the table, where as Cypher's reaction was almost the opposite.

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP ABOUT NEO!" Cypher shouted, rising to his feet. Trinity broke from her dreamy ravine to meet with a pair of penetrating blue eyes shining with purest loathing. "ALL YOU EVER DO IS TALK ABOUT HIM! HE'S A LOSER WHO SUCKS HIS OWN COCK!"

In seconds, Trinity was on her feet. She moved so violently that the chair behind her toppled to the ground with a terrifying clatter. _How dare he say that about Neo! He can try to seduce me, he can spread rumors about me, but lying about Neo like that is the last straw! Now, he's going to pay!_

Tank knew it was impossible to bring Trinity to her senses, and part of him agreed with her in saying that Cypher needed a good ass-kicking. But if she didn't do something soon, a fight would brake out and that would almost guarantee trouble. His mind whirred with possible witty retorts to Trinity's comment, hopefully something that could calm her down. However, only one came to mind, and it wasn't one she'd like to hear. But it was the best he could do, and at least it would stop her from starting a fight and getting into trouble.

"Why would he suck his own cock when Trinity could do it for him?"

Trinity swiveled to Tank, still sitting innocently in his seat. He gloated briefly at the success of his plan, as she seemed to be ignoring Cypher completely. Unfortunately, the comment had obviously been too strong for Trinity's liking because all her anger was now focused on him.

"That's it." Trinity muttered. His snide comments about her and Neo had gone too far. Brandishing her fist, she advanced on the young operator, swiping at his shoulder just as he ducked out of her way and swerved around the table.

She charged after him, as he bolted for the door to the Mess Hall, hearing and ignoring Switch and Cypher's laughter ringing in her ears. Tank neared the door and was inches away from opening it when it was wrenched open from the opposite side, causing him to skid to the side in alarm. But Trinity wasn't quick enough and she flew into the newcomer, crashing to the floor.

Neo looked up in surprise, meeting with a familiar pair of ice blue eyes. Trinity's body felt warm and secure atop his own and he was pleased when she made no effort to stand up, instead choosing to stare back at him unblinkingly as pieces of ebony hair escaped from behind her ear and fell into her face.

"Hi." She whispered, her voice mixed with shock.

"Hi." Neo replied, his tone filled with confusion.

Trinity knew she should have moved. She could hear the others laughing in the room behind her and knew that Cypher was stewing in his own rage. But Neo's body fell into place against her own, as if they had been made to fit together. She could feel his chest heaving against her stomach and felt the warmth of his thighs spreading to her legs. If it were a perfect world...she wouldn't have moved at all, and would have spent the rest of her life staring into his chestnut eyes, blinking back at her with a silky enchantment.

"You guys should think about getting up, now." Switch called, laughing hysterically.

"Yeah, or you could just move into another room!" Tank joked whilst howling with laughter.

Sighing, Trinity moved off Neo reluctantly and scrambled to her feet, holding out a hand to help him up after her. Tank and Switch had collapsed onto the nearest chairs to them in a laughing heap, while Cypher stood rigidly to the spot, his eyes glowing with rage as he shifted his gaze between the two soldiers in the doorframe, their faces glowing an equally dark shade of crimson.

"Sorry." Trinity whispered, turning swiftly and hurrying out of the Mess Hall. Once she has disappeared around the next corridor, Neo moved to the sink to get himself a glass of water, smiling inwardly to himself.

I came back here hoping to get a glass of water. Looks like I got more than I bargained for...

"What did I tell you?" Tank grinned, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes for the second time that night. "She's got the hots for you."

"Maybe." Neo shrugged, taking the mug of water and moving back to the door. "See you tomorrow."

Only moments after he'd left, Tank and Switch followed his lead, laughing to themselves as they made their way to their separate rooms. Once he was alone, Cypher dropped back into his seat and sighed, putting his head in his hands.

It was hopeless now. He saw it. He had known it the moment he'd seen them in Neo's room after his first day of training, yet Cypher still thought he may be able to make Trinity fall in love with him. He should have known that it was impossible. Once she fell in love with him, that was it. There was no turning back.

He felt tired. Exhausted. He was tired of the ship...tired of being cold...tired of following orders....tired of Morpheus and the blind faith he put in Neo....Neo, The One...the one who had taken Trinity from him...the one who had left him with this feeling of exhaustion and emptiness.

He was fed up with it all. So now they'd found The One and could go off and fight their war on their own, and Trinity could have her savior. There really wasn't any need for him to be here anyway....nothing really seemed to matter, not even her. Now that she was gone from him he failed to see the purpose in life...he couldn't stand this bullshit anymore!

He wanted to forget it all. He wanted to go back to what is life was before...before he knew the truth...before he knew he had to fight a war...before he met that asshole Morpheus and had to suffer through all this bullshit...before he even knew there _was_ a person named Neo....before Trinity...

Yes, he wanted to forget it all. He wanted to pretend it never happened, to remember absolutely nothing. NOTHING AT ALL. Not even Trinity. He had to go back....by any means he would find a way back. Back to a life where he wasn't cold, tired or had to suffer eating the same crap day after day. Back to a life without Morpheus, Neo or Trinity. He wanted to escape it all.

He wanted to go back to the Matrix.

(o)

A/N: How was that? I liked setting the whole thing in the one place with different people coming in and out. But what I really want to know about is what you thought about Cypher's little bit at the end. I know one of my reviewers (sorry, I forget who) thinks that Trinity isn't the main reason for him wanting to get back into the Matrix so I tried to weave some other stuff in but keep Trinity as the main focus cause I think she has A LOT to do with it, actually. So tell me what you think about the end and also what you thought about setting the whole chapter in the one place. Thanks heaps!


	8. Woman in Red

8

Trinity awoke rather late yet again the next day. It hardly surprised her anymore, since she had been needing plenty of extra sleep since Neo was unplugged. She smiled to herself- so much had changed since she'd met Neo, it was hard to believe she was the same person she once was. But was this such a bad thing? Perhaps she was changing for the better...

After spending some time lying curled up in her bed, Trinity decided it was time she got up. Stretching and pulling her over-shirt and pants over her under-shirt and underwear, she stuffed her feet into her boots before making her way down the corridor and towards the core, with intentions of watching Neo train. The sight of him after waking up often made a good start to her day.

"Trinity!" Tank exclaimed when she arrived in the core. "Great, I could use some company."

"What program is he doing?" Trinity asked as she moved behind him and rested her hands on the back of Tank's chair, peering at the screens over his shoulders.

"Agent training program." Tank grinned slyly, tapping several keys. "Mouse was outraged when he found out that Neo hadn't taken the program yet, so he marched right up to Morpheus and requested he take it straight away."

"How long have they been in there?" Trinity asked, gesturing to the limp bodies of Morpheus and Neo reclining in their jack-in chairs.

"I just jacked them in a few minutes ago." Answered Tank, resting his elbows on the edge of the keyboard and putting his chin in his hands. "I should probably get Mouse. No doubt he'll be excited to see his lady lover in action."

"She's not real, Tank." Trinity scowled.

"Try telling him that." Said Tank, adding excitedly, "Hey look, here she comes!"

Trinity remembered the time Morpheus had taken her through the agent training program. It had been a complete disaster because Trinity hadn't given a second glance to the attractive young man who breezed past her in a crowd of bustling people, eyeing her seductively. When Morpheus had asked her if she was looking at the man, she had replied with a definite and truthful 'no'. She could still see the expression of shock on Morpheus's face clearly....as if it had been imprinted into her mind.

Perhaps the male equivalent of the Woman in Red wasn't as attractive as it's female opposite. Or maybe women were much more immune to desire than men. Or perhaps it was just Trinity who had managed to build a barrier around herself, blocking other men (real or not) from ever touching her heart. Whatever the cause, the others had marveled at her ability to brush of emotions like removing a loose thread from her shirt. She laughed inwardly to herself as she wondered what the original crew of the Nebuchadnezzar would think of her if they could see her now...

Trinity didn't know what she expected from Neo when he encountered the Women in Red. Surely, she couldn't have expected him to be able to block off all sexual impulses as she had been able to. But still seeing the lustful glare he gave her as he passed sent a twang of envy coursing through her veins.

_She's not real...she's not real. _Trinity thought bitterly to herself as Neo turned back only to see an agent simulation instead. _Goddamit, why did Mouse have to invent that program anyway? _

"Is something wrong?" Asked Tank tearing his eyes away from the screens. When Trinity didn't even bother to look away from the scene in front of her, loathing dancing in the depths of her eyes, Tanks smirked knowingly, his own eyes shimmering with delight. "Hey, I know what it is! You're jealous, aren't you?"

"Of course not!" Trinity lied, still not looking away from the screens. "Why would I be jealous of a program, especially when I'm not seeing the man it's trying to tempt?"

"Nice try, Trinity." Tank laughed. "But I think you and Neo already are together. You just haven't realized it yourself yet."

"How can that be possible?" Trinity spat in disgust.

"Well," Tank said thoughtfully. "Let's just say we unplug a new guy who has the hots for you -hey, just hear me out, ok? As I was saying...he has the hots for you, but I doubt he'd try anything if he saw the way you two look at each other. That's what I mean. You're seeing him, you just haven't admitted it yet."

Trinity was about to retort when an alarm sounded overhead.

"Shit." Tank cursed, typing insanely quickly on the keyboard, brining up a screen reading sentinels. The blinking neon red lights flashed across his face, illuminating the fear in his eyes as he pulled his headpiece on and dialed Morpheus.

"Get to the cockpit!" Tank hollered, but Trinity firmly shook her head.

"Get them out first." She commanded in a tone to match her status on board the ship. Tank had no choice but to obey.

"We've got trouble." Was all he had time to say before he typed the appropriate sequence of keys to bring both men out of the program and back into the real world. Trinity rushed to Neo's chair, wrenching the needle from the back of his head and helping him to his feet, leading the way to the cockpit.

"What's going on?' Neo asked in confusion as Morpheus pushed past the pair, ascending the ladder that would take him to the cockpit.

"I'll explain once we get up here." Trinity answered hurriedly, standing aside to let Neo climb the ladder first as the rest of the crew gathered around the base. There was only room for four in the cockpit, so Trinity followed Neo up quickly before any of the others could.

"Did Zion send a warning?" Morpheus asked Dozer, taking the seat beside him.

"No, another ship." Dozer answered, brining up an image on a screen. Neo peered at the crystallized blue light with interest and trying his best to ignore Trinity's fear-filled breathing beside him.

Trinity? Afraid? Hmm...whatever's happening must be something pretty bad if it can get that affect from her.

"Shit." Muttered Dozer. "Squiddies sweeping in quick."

"Squiddy?" Asked Neo to none in particular, but only half expecting an answer in return. Everyone seemed to be in a state of deep concentration....far too preoccupied to want to answer a newibe's naïve question. This was why Trinity's automatic response came as such a shock to him.

"A sentinel." She answered out of instinct. "Killing machine designed for only one thing."

"Search and destroy." Dozer finished, not bothering to tear his eyes from the ship's front window.

"Set her down right over there." Morpheus ordered. Dozer nodded and took to the controls, causing Neo to gasp slightly as the ship shuddered and zoomed towards the location Morpheus had directed. Trinity jerked her head to Neo briefly, smiling as she read the reaction in his face.

"How're we doing, Tank?" Morpheus spoke into the intercom.

"Power offline." Tank's voice cackled in reply. "E.M.P armed....and ready."

"E.M.P?" Neo asked inquisitively, this time looking directly to Trinity in the hopes that she would again deliver him the answers he craved for. She didn't disappoint him.

"Electro Magnetic Pulse." Trinity informed him, folding her arms across her chest. "Disables any electrical system within the blast radius. It's the only weapon we have against the machines."

Neo nodded quietly, the view beyond the ship's front window catching his attention. The world that lay beyond was bleak and gray, mist swirling amongst the depths of metallic pipes and tubes, mingled with dirt and decay. With all that had been going on inside his mind, the location of the ship hadn't even occurred to him.

"Where are we?" He asked.

"There are old service and waste systems." Trinity answered promptly.

"Sewers?" Neo continued, glad to have his questions answered instead of being brushed aside for a change.

"They used to be cities that spanned hundreds of miles." Whispered Trinity. "Now these sewers are all that's left of them."

"Quiet!" Morpheus interrupted, brining an abrupt end to the conversation.

Seconds after the word had left his lips, three sentinels streamed down upon them. Neo stared, open mouthed, at the sight before him. The mechanical beasts were a faded shade of sapphire blue, blended with a vibrant red and eyes of burning fire. Their long tentacles swirled behind them, propelling them forwards and through mid air. The leader, the largest and obviously the fiercest of them all, closed in against the ship. Neo heard Trinity draw in her breath and hold it beside him and felt his own body quiver with fear as the beast spread it's tentacles, gnashing and grasping air as if it were searching for something it couldn't see. After a moment of struggling, the sentinel moved on, leading the others with it.

Trinity exhaled deeply, closing her eyes to calm her racing heart. Morpheus and Dozer drew back in their chairs, shaking their heads in dismay, whilst Neo breathed a strong sigh of relief, his face a ghostly white after the sentinel encounter.

"Are you alright?" She asked him anxiously.

"Not really." Neo smiled lightly. "T-Those sentinel things are disgusting."

"Well get used to looking at them, Neo." Morpheus stated, getting from his chair. "They'll be your new enemy. Now come on, you have several more training programs to run through before the end of today."

"Right." Neo answered gloomily, following Morpheus out of the cockpit. Trinity moved to follow them once he had disappeared from view, but was stopped when a hand shot out from seemingly nowhere and tightened around her wrist.

"He likes you, you know." Said Dozer, jerking his head down the hall. Trinity blinked in shock- Dozer rarely addressed her like this. In fact, he wasn't one to start a conversation, especially on this level.

"....oh...." Trinity mumbled, truthfully unsure of how to reply.

"You don't need to say anything. I'm just telling you what I've seen." Dozer shrugged. "He likes you."

"Right." Trinity moved carefully towards the door. "Well...um...I-I'm going to finish working now. See you at dinner."

"See you, Trinity." Dozer sighed, resting back in his chair and the silence that instantly filled the cockpit after Trinity had left.

(o)

Neo awoke the following morning and was surprised to find he had an appetite. Perhaps it had something to do with sampling his first drink of alcohol last night when he ran into Cypher in the core, or maybe it was simply because his stomach was finally feeling up to digesting solid foods. Whatever the reason, Neo found himself joining the rest of the crew in the Mess Hall for breakfast for the first time.

"Morning, Neo!" Tank said cheerily as Neo scrambled into the Mess Hall, wearing a woolen hat to bring warmth to his near to bald scalp. "Good sleep?"

"Yeah right." Cypher snorted. "It's impossible to get a good sleep in the real world."

"I was wondering...." Neo stuttered, taking the only remaining empty chair beside Mouse.

"Ah! So you've got your appetite back!" Mouse assumed. "Takes longer than you think it would, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." Neo smiled. He knew everyone found Mouse's energetic conversations irritating, but Mouse's friendliness made a nice change to the sullenness of the rest of the crew, minus Tank and Trinity of course...

"I better get you something then." Tank stood, taking an empty bowl and filling it with some strange substance from a nearby tap and sliding it back across the table before moving back into his own seat. "Here you go, buddy. Breakfast of champions."

Neo had been expecting something a little more appetizing. The thick white liquid was littered with large chunks and lumps, sloshing about in the bowl. He stared at the food blankly as the others around him began to shovel it into their mouths.

_It reminds me of my mother's oatmeal in the Matrix. _Neo thought to himself, lifting his spoon and toying with the chunks of....actually, he had no idea what they were.

"If you close your eyes, it almost feels like you're eating runny eggs." Mouse suggested, a childlike eagerness to his voice.

"Yeah, or a bowl of snot." Dozer scoffed as several lumps dripped of the edge of Neo's spoon. He let the rest of the mixture fall back into the bowl and pushed it aside, now having completely lost his desire to eat.

"You know what it reminds me of?" Asked Mouse rather randomly (as it was in his nature). "Tasty Wheat. Did you ever eat Tasty Wheat?"

"No." Switch said irritably in a voice that indicated her obvious desire to have him shut his mouth. "But technically neither did you."

"That's exactly my point. Exactly!" Mouse cried with a boyish excitement, blinded to Switch's tone of irritation. "Because you have to wonder now, how did the machines really know what Tasty Wheat tasted like, huh? Maybe they got it wrong. Maybe what I think Tasty Wheat tasted like actually tasted like, uh..oatmeal, or tuna fish. That makes you wonder about a lot of things. You take chicken for example, maybe they couldn't figure out what to make chicken taste like, which is why chicken tastes like everything. Maybe they couldn't-"

"Shut up, Mouse." Said Apoc.

"It's a single celled protein combined with synthetic aminos, vitamins and minerals." Dozer explained knowingly, although both Neo and Trinity couldn't see why this information should matter to anyone. "Everything the body needs."

"It doesn't have everything the body needs." Mouse muttered under his breath so only Neo could hear him, pulling a face at both Dozer and Apoc before leaning in towards Neo to continue conversation. "So I understand you've run through the agent training program....you, uh, you know I wrote that program." He stated proudly.

Neo was rather thankful for Mouse's desire to uphold conversation, having had grown up in a house with two brothers and TV dinners where meals were never a silent affair. If it hadn't been for Mouse, he would have had to sit in awkward silence, which would have felt unnatural to him. However, it was obvious that the others didn't feel the same way when Switch rolled her eyes tiredly.

"Here it comes." Apoc sighed, smirking slightly into his bowl.

"So, uh, what did you think of her?" Mouse asked excitedly.

Trinity, who had hardly been paying attention to the conversation us usual, now looked up in alarm, her forehead creasing into frown lines. She knew that Mouse would never miss an opportunity to talk about his 'famous' creation, but secretly she had hoped that he wouldn't bring her up around Neo.

"Of who?" Neo asked naively, truthfully unsure of what Mouse was talking about.

"The woman in the red dress!" Mouse cried incredulously, unable to believe Neo didn't know what he was talking about.

_Oh. _Neo thought to himself. _Her._

"I designed her." Mouse continued proudly. "She...um...well, she doesn't talk much. B-but if you'd like to meet her." He lowered his voice to a loud whisper, jabbering in Neo's ear. "I can arrange a much more personalized milieu."

"Digital pimp hard at work." Switch joked, smirking as well despite the darkening scowl lingering on the face of her close friend from across the table.

_It's a program, for god's sake! Why are all men on this ship attracted to something that isn't even real? _Trinity thought bitterly to herself, before jumping at the sudden realization. _My god! Am I actually jealous of the Woman in Red? Tank said earlier today that Neo and I were already seeing each other but hadn't realized it yet...maybe he was right. I mean, I'm actually feeling jealous of a program!_

Neo stared at Mouse as if he was mentally retarded. _Is Mouse into porn or something? He's trying to hook me up with a program for crying out loud! I have to admit...the Woman in Red is beautiful...but compared to Trinity..._

"Pay no attention to these hypocrites, Neo." Mouse scowled, casting Apoc and Switch a shifty glance from across the table. "To deny our own impulses, is to deny the very thing that makes us human."

Trinity bent further towards her bowl, now only toying with the remaining food in her bowl with bitter rage. Although, Mouse did raise an interesting point.

Maybe I should just stop trying to deny it. I certainly feel something for Neo...but is it love? 

Before she could dwell on this any longer, Morpheus burst into the Mess Hall, causing the entire crew to look up in surprise.

"Dozer, when you're done, bring the ship up to broadcast level." Morpheus ordered, a smile playing on his lips as he turned his gaze to Neo. "We're going in. I'm taking Neo to see her."

"See who?" Neo asked nervously, glancing around the crew anxiously.

Tank rose his head from his bowl, his dark eye flashing with seriousness for once.

"The Oracle..."

(o)

A/N: Suspenseful place to stop it, I know. But I didn't want to make the chapter any longer. Please review and tell me what you think!


	9. Oracle

9

All further thoughts of jealousy and envy against the Woman in Red had now completely slipped from Trinity's mind. She hadn't expected Morpheus to want to take Neo to see the Oracle so soon!!

The Oracle will be able to tell Neo if he is The One or not. By the end of today, we'll know for sure. If he is The One, then I suppose I'll have no choice but to accept my feelings towards him as love. But if he isn't...

She felt disoriented and empty, completely unsure of what to think. Part of her was actually a little excited, silently hoping and praying that he was The One. She had never felt love before, so how was she meant to know if what she felt now was love or not? She certainly felt something for him...something that hadn't been evident in anyone else she'd ever met before. But was it love?

The prophecy was her greatest clue. But how could she trust that when she didn't believe in it? Perhaps Neo would be able to change her perspective on this....if he was The One, that is....but did she really want to love him just because of his title? If he was The One, she would just have to accept her feelings for him as love.

_Then what? _She thought gloomily to herself as she made her way to her room to prepare for jacking into the core after breakfast. _Do I just waltz up to him and tell him that I love him? _Trinity snorted. _Not likely...but what if Neo isn't The One? If he isn't, then I swear I'll never put trust in my heart again._

"No." She said aloud upon reaching her door. "I don't want to think about that."

"Think about what?" Asked a voice from behind her. Turning swiftly, Trinity noticed Switch standing behind her, eyeing her with concern.

"Nothing." Trinity answered meekly, but Switch was obviously unconvinced. However, she said nothing and allowed Trinity to hurry into the safety of her own room to spend some time thinking things over before the hour of judgment arrived.

(o)

"So who is this Oracle person, exactly?" Neo asked Tank when he arrived in the core, leaning against the operator's chair.

"She's this old woman who tells you shit you don't even want to know." Tank replied bitterly, but then fixed his eyes on Neo with a cheesy grin. "Sorry, I'm not really The Oracle's biggest fan."

"Obviously." Neo grinned in reply.

"Morpheus usually takes newbies to see her a couple of months after they've been unplugged because he likes to take them through the basic training programs first and also give them a chance to settle into the real world. But he's obviously just as keen to see if you're The One of not as the rest of us."

"She'll be able to tell me if I'm The One or not?" Asked Neo nervously.

Tank nodded. "She can see into the future. That's why she's called the Oracle. Basically, she tells you your future and helps you to figure things out. Everyone who can jack in has been to see her at least once."

"Everyone?" Neo wondered. _I wonder what Trinity's prophecy was..._

"Everyone." Tank repeated, stretching back in his chair. "I'm glad I can't jack in. I don't see the fun in knowing what's going to happen to you, it takes all the adventure and excitement out of life! I'd rather just let fate take it's course."

"I don't believe in fate." Said Neo, absent mindedly, staring dreamily over Tank's shoulder to the Matrix code flashing on the three main screens.

What if I'm not The One? What if I let everyone down? What if everything the others went through to get me out was for nothing? I couldn't stand to let them all down...especially Morpheus, after all the faith he's shown in me. And what about Trinity...

He could picture the look of disappointment showering Trinity's face when she found out he wasn't The One as clearly as if it were happening now. Ironically, this mental image was only displayed a small fraction of the disappointment Trinity would feel if Neo wasn't The One.

(o)

"Morpheus, don't you think you're moving too fast?" Trinity asked anxiously, following her captain towards the core a short time later.

"The sooner we find out if Neo is The One, the better." Morpheus replied, catching the look of fear reflecting in Trinity's piercing blue eyes and turning her skin chalk white as she shuffled along beside him. "Is something wrong, Trinity?"

"No, everything's fine." She answered instantly. Perhaps a little too soon, because Morpheus obviously wasn't convinced.

"If there's something bothering you..." He began, unsure of how to complete his sentence. "Remember, you can always talk to me about it."

Trinity smiled kindly. Morpheus had been so nice to her over the years, like the father she never had. She wished there was a way for her to repay him for all he'd done for her over the years.

"I'm fine." She lied as they arrived in the core. The others were already gathered there, all glancing between one another anxiously. All were clearly nervous, but none were as nervous as Neo, who was shifting from one foot to the other, his face a ghostly white.

"Tank, Dozer. Load us up." Morpheus ordered, and both operators obeyed instantly as the rest of the crew found their chairs.

Neo tripped over the ground cables on his way over, his mind too focused on other things to worry about where his feet were carrying him. Feeling his cheeks redden, he leapt into the nearest chair and found himself beside Trinity, who was lying back and awaiting the needle to be jabbed into her head. Catching his lingering gaze, she forced a quavering smile onto her lips in an attempt to make him relax a little.

If he's feeling half as nervous as I am right now, he must be going insane.

"Nervous?" She asked, already knowing the answer herself. Neo nodded vigorously, causing her smile to broaden a little. "I would be to."

Tank approached him, patting him on the shoulder in comfort as Neo shifted back in his chair, allowing Tank to jab the needle into his skull as he closed his eyes into darkness.

(o)

Neo blinked at his own ghostly reflection, pale in the frozen glass of the window. But then again....it wasn't really his reflection, was it? The streets beyond the car were littered with hundreds upon hundreds of people, bustling through the city to reach their destination, their faces pallid against the dim green tinge in the gloomy and seemingly lifeless atmosphere of the computer generated world.

He was still struggling to accept that everything around him was no more than a lie. This was, after all, the very city he had been residing in before he was unplugged. Everything looked so familiar....but really, he'd never seen it before. It didn't exist....he didn't exist....well, his mind did.....this was just so confusing....

"Unbelievable....isn't it?" Morpheus asked from the driver's seat, watching Neo's reaction in the review mirror.

"God..." Neo murmured as they passed an all too familiar setting.

"What?" Trinity asked, looking at him through the darkness of her sunglasses from across the back seat of the car. The first thought that crossed Neo's mind when he reentered the Matrix for the first time after being unplugged was of how sexy she looked in a leather dress clinging to her slender frame tightly against her velvety creamy skin, her eyes hidden beneath dark shades and pieces of her ebony hair sliding into her face.

"I used to eat there." No pointed to a passing restaurant as a strange remark popped into his head. He turned to meet her eyes, his own glittering with a boyish enchantment that so easily enraptured her. "Really good noodles."

She had to smile. How could she not? For the first time in the Matrix after being unplugged (almost fifteen years ago) the corners of Trinity's lips unturned slightly into a quivering smile.

He's beautiful...She thought distantly to herself, admiring the life shinning in his virtual eyes. He truly is...oh God, listen to me! I'm sounding like some love-sick teenager again.

"I have these memories from my life....none of them happened." Neo continued. "What does that mean?"

Cypher, who had been sitting in the front beside Morpheus and growing increasingly tired of Neo's naivety, was about to order him to keep his mouth shut. But Trinity spoke first, cutting him off and answering promptly.

"That the Matrix cannot tell you who you are."

"But an Oracle can?" Neo questioned, suddenly reminded of what awaited him at the end of this car journey.

"That's different." Trinity mumbled, truthfully unsure of what her answer meant herself. She shifted in the car seat uncomfortably, wondering where this conversation would lead.

"Did you go to her?" He asked, wondering if he could provoke her into telling him her own prophecy. He wasn't really sure why he wanted to know so much....probably because everything about her interested him....even something as simple as a movement of her hand.

Trinity sighed, turning to stare out the window so he wouldn't see the red tinge in her cheeks. Part of her had known that this topic would come up before too long. But this didn't make answering his questions any easier.

"Yes." She breathed against the glass, watching his reflection behind her. A mass of messy tuffs of deepest brown hair covered his scalp, so soft and silky, catching the light of the distant sun. She was at once filled with an anxiety to run a hand across his head, and feel his hair between her fingers....to test if it really was as soft as it did seem. Her fingers twitched in her lap, but she clutched her hands together to hold them at bay.

"What did she tell you?" Neo asked with a faint smile, brightening his face in the dim reflection of the window. Trinity swiveled around in her seat of face him again, her body tensing at his question. She forced her previous smile back onto her face, weaving possible replies through her head.

"She told me..." Trinity trailed away, her voice catching in her throat. How could she finish that sentence? Was she meant to say 'she told me I would fall in love with you'? Of course not. Even if Cypher and Morpheus weren't in the car, she wouldn't have been able to bring herself to say the dreaded words....at least not until she knew for certain.

Neo coaxed his head to the side, his eyes glowing in confusion. Her lips were still parted slightly, but she was swallowing heavily, suppressing oncoming words back down her throat. This only filled with him more curiosity and a greater desire to know the answer.

"What?" He prompted, just as the car pulled over with a screech.

"We're here." Morpheus announced, pushing his door open. "Neo, come with me."

Neo obeyed, nodding to Trinity before scrambling out of the car and shuffling after Morpheus towards the scummy and unkempt city building. Trinity undid her seatbelt and relaxed in her seat, beads of sweat collecting on her forehead. She pushed her hair out of her face and let the window dropped, cooling her face in the cool breeze and trying to calm her racing heart with low, strong breathing.

This is it. When he comes out of there...I'll know for sure.

"So, you excited?" Cypher grinned slimily, watching her reflection in the review mirror. She's going to be the one thing I miss after all this is over. Too bad I couldn't take her with me. "Obviously not. Actually, you look a little worried."

Trinity said nothing, leaning out of the open car window and enjoying the sensations of the wind tickling her face, regardless of whether it was real or not.

"Are you scared cause you want him to be famous? So you can take a share in some of the glory once you seduce him?" Cypher laughed mechanically. Trinity said nothing, blocking him out entirely and only causing Cypher greater irritation.

"Why don't we listen to some music to pass the time?" He suggested, his hand moving to the dial.

"You touch that dial and I'll murder you." Trinity stated strongly, but not bothering to give him the courtesy of her full attention.

"Ooh, I'm so scared!" Cypher whimpered sarcastically. "You go around pretending to be so tough, Trinity, but really you're no stronger than a love-sick teenage girl. When it comes to love, you're almost as weak as Neo is."

"What makes you think I'm in love with anyone?" Trinity snapped, turning away from her window.

"That's exactly what I mean, Trinity." Cypher called angrily. "You claim to be a tough, bad-ass chick, and to some, you may appear to be. But really, you're just a scared individual who can't even tell the difference between real love and what isn't. You're weak, Trinity. You're nearly as weak as him."

"Neo is The One." Trinity answered instantly, feeling herself rise slightly in her chair. She forgot to think about whether this sentence was the truth or not. She was far too enraged with Cypher to care.

"You really think that someone like Neo could save the world?" Cypher snorted. "Come on, Trinity. He's even weaker than you are....he can't even tell his right from his left for crying out loud!"

Trinity said nothing, stewing in her own rage and feeling her blood boil beneath her skin. But this was neither the time nor the place to start a fight. Once they were back on the ship and in safety, she'd make him suffer. Cypher grunted in frustration, letting his hand fall to the switch and flicking the radio. Music blared into the car, causing Trinity to jump in alarm.

"Yeah, I turned the radio on." Cypher smiled cynically. "What are you gonna do about it, bad-ass?"

Trinity subconsciously felt her hands clench into fists. This time he'd gone too far. He lunged forward over the top of the front seat and punched whatever inch of skin she could reach, feeling her fist collide with his left shoulder. Cypher cried out in pain, turning around and staring at her in shock as she flopped back into her seat.

"Exactly what I said I would." Trinity retorted sourly. "I'm going to murder you."

"Right." Cypher snarled, but before he could say another word, Neo and Morpheus emerged from behind a door leading to the Oracle's building. He cast her one final look of loathing before swiveling back around in his chair and folding his arms across his chest like a spoilt toddler.

Naturally, Trinity was full of questions. But there was one question she desperately craved an answer to...an answer that would determine her own fate, and his.

"Neo...are you-" She began, but was instantly cut off as Morpheus slid into the front seat.

"Neo." Morpheus commanded. "You don't need to tell anyone what was said between you and the Oracle, remember?"

Neo nodded, taking another bite of the cookie in his hand. This only caused Trinity further puzzlement. His expression was hard to place, a mixture of confusion and uncertainty.

The car ride back to the others was even more silent as the ride there. For once, Neo was thankful for this. He needed time to think without being bombarded with questions he didn't want to answer.

So I'm not The One. My worst fears have become reality. I've let everyone down. How am I going to brake the news to the others? What will Morpheus say when he knows the truth?...what will Trinity say?

Sinking into his own personal state of gloom, Neo finished off his cookie. But unlike the Oracle had promised, he wasn't feeling any better. What made matters worse was worrying about the other things the Oracle had told him. How could he choose between his own life and the life of another human being?

Little did he know, he was going to have to make that choice much sooner than he had expected.

(o)

A/N: I hope that the thoughts of Trinity and Neo about the Oracle were believable, as was the fight with Cypher and Trinity. Unfortunately, I don't have any time to proof read this chapter, so please overlook any spelling or grammar errors.

Thanks for reading and please review!


	10. Deja Vu

A/N: This is a pretty long chapter. The title is unrelated but I couldn't think of anything better. Oh well.

10

Neo shifted in his seat uncomfortably, dreading the moment where he'd have to tell the others he wasn't the One. Tank was right, he felt better not knowing about his own future.

Trinity was unnerved by the silence in the car. She enjoyed silence because it gave her time to think, but this was the kind of silence that felt awkward and unnatural. Mostly because she knew that Cypher and even Morpheus were wondering about what was running through Neo's mind as she was. She shot him a glance from across the backseat, his cheek pressed against the glass and his eyes focused dreamily on the passing streets and shifting continually in his seat.

Everyone was relieved when the car screeched to a stop. Apoc and Switch, who had been sitting by the door and engaging in quiet conversation, stood abruptly to lead the way inside. As Neo scrambled out of the car and slammed his door shut, he caught Cypher's gaze briefly and saw the sinister spark flickering in the depths of his eyes to accompany the cynical smile he showered upon the other man. Neo frowned, scurrying away to catch up with Trinity and Morpheus, who were making their way inside after Apoc and Switch.

At once Cypher's outward smirk dropped but he continued to gloat inwardly to himself. _Just wait, pretty boy. I'll get my own back._

Neo shuffled after the others into a black and white tiled hall. As the rest of the crew began to ascend the nearby chestnut staircase, a muffled purr caught his attentions and he turned quickly only to see a black cat crossing the doorframe and sprinting away into the distance. Pondering the fact that the cat didn't actually exist, Neo gripped the banister and climbed the first stair, only to have his attention recaptured by the same cat passing the doorframe again, purring in the same fashion as before.

_Odd. _Neo thought to himself, tilting his head in puzzlement. _I've never had déjà vu before._

"Whoa, déjà vu." He said aloud, voicing his thoughts as he often did. He hadn't expected the others to be paying him any sort of attention, and was rather surprised when they turned abruptly at his words.

"What did you just say?" Trinity questioned, swiveling around to face him and tightening at his words as fear coursed through her veins.

"Nothing." Neo shrugged. "Just had a little déjà vu."

"What did you see?" Trinity asked anxiously, her shoulders tensing, only to have the tension released at the sight of him coaxing his head to the side and blinking up at her in confusion. She silently marveled at the fact that something could look so innocent.

"What happened?" Cypher continued. Neo stared between both in surprise, wondering why this should matter to anyone.

"A black cat just went past us." Neo gestured to the doorframe behind him. "And another that looked just like it."

"How much like it? Was it the same cat?" She asked quickly, the two sentences almost coming out as one. Neo noticed that the others were all staring at him in anticipation, with fear hidden behind their dark sunglasses.

"Might have been." Neo shrugged again. "I'm not sure."

_Shit. _Trinity retrieved her gun, clutching it tightly in her hand.

"Switch, Apoc." Was all Morpheus had to say. The pair nodded and moved to opposite ends of the staircase, their guns held aloft.

"What is it?" Neo wondered, his eyes shifting between the others. Yet again, he was irritated when none seemed to be eager to answer his question, however he had expected as much.

"A déjà vu is usually a glitch in the Matrix." Trinity explained out of pure instinct. "It happens when they change something."

"Let's go." Morpheus ordered, leading the way up several flights of stairs until they reached the ninth floor. Neo panted, running things through his head as fear sprung into his entire being instantly when he realized that Trinity had been talking about Agents. Supposedly, he was the only one who would be able to withstand a fight against them...but he wasn't the One. The others were all expecting him to do something amazing...like perform a miracle....but he couldn't. A sudden sense of shame washed over him, only to increase when he met eyes with Trinity briefly.

Upon reaching the eighth floor, Trinity struggled to stop herself from crying out in shock when she spied Mouse's limp body sprawled out across the floor, blood oozing from open bullet wounds in his chest, his eyes still wide open in paralyzed fear and his body still, welcoming death.

_No. _She shook her head, holding tears at bay. _Mouse can't be dead...he can't be. I-It's not possible. I-It can't be real._

Turning to see the shock and sadness evident in the tightness of her companion's faces, she came to realize the obviousness of the truth. Mouse was dead. No longer would he be seen darting excitedly along the corridors, or rambling on about beautiful women and walking in at awkward moments. No longer would Apoc have to shout at him to shut up. Hearing Apoc's heavy and sorrowful breathing beside her, she knew that he would, ironically, miss Mouse the most.

But now was not the time to mourn the death of their fallen comrade. Morpheus had already moved to the window and pulled back the curtains, only to reveal a sturdy brick wall. The others gathered around him anxiously, wondering what awaited them now.

"That's what they changed." Cypher stated the obvious. In Neo's opinion, the fear in Cypher's tone sounded somewhat false. "We're trapped. There's no way out."

"Be calm." Morpheus ordered, holding out a hand. "Give me your phone."

Cypher dug into the pocket of his coat, rummaging for a phone that obviously wasn't there. Fortunately, Trinity managed to produce one and handed it to Morpheus along with words of caution.

"They'll be able to track it."

"We have no choice." Morpheus reasoned while dialing Tank's number.

For once, Neo decided not to question the others about the conversation Morpheus and Tank shared over the phone. Now definitely wasn't the time. Instead, he settled into confusion and hoped that the others knew what they were doing.

"Switch, straight ahead." Morpheus instructed, and Switch nodded in reply, leading the way down another corridor. Neo prepared to follow but Apoc grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"Neo," He said, flipping a handgun around several times before placing it in Neo's outstretched palm. "I hope the Oracle gave you some good news."

_I wish. _Neo thought bitterly as Apoc moved behind him and they followed the others down several corridors until they reached a small, dirty and white tiled bathroom with the back wall tiles chipped and worn away. There was a small opening beside the floor that would lead up into the wall behind it. Morpheus bent and crawled through the hole, scrambling up as high as possible so he was wedged inside and clutching the walls tightly with his back pressed against the further side. The others quickly followed his lead.

For a few moments, Trinity almost believed they were safe, and had managed to give the Agents the slip yet again. They may have even been able to survive if someone's foot hadn't slipped, causing dust to trickle down Cypher's bald scalp. Cypher's allergic reaction to dust didn't just cause Trinity supreme irritation as usual, but nearly cost her her life, as well as the lives of Apoc, Switch, Morpheus; and Neo.

Neo's hands clung to the walls desperately, raw and dirty from the dust that surrounded him. The stench of moist dirt was overpowering, and he struggled to hold onto the walls. Beyond his hiding place, he heard the sounds of boots squelching across the sticky bathroom floor and drew a long and shuddering breath, holding it in his chest. Somewhere bellow him, Cypher had begun to cough and was attempting to hold it in. But his efforts weren't powerful enough, and he began to splutter, causing the police on the wall's opposite side to cry out in alarm.

"They're in the walls! They're in the walls!"

Thousands upon thousands of bullets collided with the wall at once, breaking through the chipped tiles and narrowly avoiding the people who hid behind it. Unsure of what to do, Neo rummaged through the pockets in his coat before pulling out the gun Apoc had given him earlier. He had never used a gun before, nor had he ever been through any programs which taught him how to. But in a dire situation, such things seemed of little importance. He aimed the gun at the wall and pulled the trigger, flinching in surprise each time a bullet escaped the gun's end. He hadn't expected something as simple as shooting a gun to be this difficult.

Suddenly, the shooting stopped and all was strangely quiet. Trinity breathed a sigh of relief, deciding that Neo had somehow managed to shoot the policeman on the other side of the wall.

_That's definitely impressive. _She smiled silently to herself. _Not everyone can kill someone when it's their first time using a gun...maybe he really is the One._

But she had dared to hope too soon. A rough and pale, seemingly lifeless hand shot through the wall and wrapped around Neo's neck. He chocked and spluttered in alarm, attempting and failing to pull himself from the hand's grasp.

"It's an Agent!" Shouted Cypher, stating the obvious.

Before Trinity could react, she heard a cry from above her as Morpheus crashed through the wall, bringing himself down atop the Agent on the other side and straddling him to the floor. At once, the hand fell from Neo's throat and the younger man gasped, swallowing hoarsely.

"Morpheus!" Trinity cried, pulling herself up slightly in order to better see what was happening.

"Trinity, you must get Neo out! He's all that matters!" Morpheus shouted in reply from the other side of the wall. Trinity froze, for once completely unsure of what to do. She knew Morpheus was right, and if Neo was the One, his safety should be her main priority (actually, his safety did seem to be her main priority regardless of this). But how could she leave Morpheus? Her father figure and the person who had freed her mind and made her into the person she was today? She was caught between two decisions, unable to decipher the right choice.

"No!" Neo shouted through the bullet holes. "No, Morpheus, don't!" He wanted to tell Morpheus that he wasn't the One. He wanted to tell him that he was throwing his life away senselessly. He wanted to jump out of the wall himself and die in Morpheus's place, perhaps not only to save his captain but also to prevent his own state of shame. But once again, his words caught in his throat and he found himself unable to form a straight sentence.

"Trinity, go!" Morpheus commanded. In seconds, Trinity had made up her mind.

_Morpheus can handle himself. And he's right. I have to save Neo...I have to._

"Go!" She bellowed. Obeying to the order of their second in command, Switch, Apoc and Cypher loosened their hold on the walls completely and let themselves drop, crashing through the floor and into the basement. Only Neo remained behind, refusing to budge.

"We can't leave him!" He insisted, giving Trinity his most serious and insightful stare from above her.

"We have to!" Trinity reasoned. Although she was just as hesitant to leave Morpheus behind, she found that she valued Neo's protection above all other things. Not only as the One. It was strange...almost like a mother fears for the safety of her child...if he died....

Neo only tightened his hold on the walls in protest. Seeing no other way to bring him with her, Trinity snatched his ankle in her hand and tugged him down after her. Surprised by this method, Neo forgot to uphold his resistance and allowed her to pull him down the walls after her, landing in a cloud of dust on the basement's floor.

The police had somehow managed to beat them there. Trinity could hear the others spluttering and coughing around her in the cloud of dust that masked them from view. Holding her hand above her eyes as a shield, she saw the torchlight of the policeman and frantically searched for her gun. She heard Switch and Apoc breeze by her, leaping out from the dust and using their last bullets in a final stand against their enemy. But all could see that the couple wouldn't last long.

Defenseless, Trinity searched for a means of escape and spied a manhole not too far away from where they were. Neo was slowing getting to his feet beside her and searching for his own gun, only to find it empty. Sighing, Trinity charged forward and grasped his wrist, leading him to the manhole. Even in her current situation, she couldn't help but realize that her body had tensed to his soft touch, his clammy hands clinging to her own.

_She feels so beautiful and smooth. _Neo thought to himself, but did not daunt on this as she tore the manhole open and allowed him to slide down first, standing aside to let Apoc and Switch sprint after them and leap down as well. Only after she had lowered half her body into the manhole did she realize that one was missing. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw Cypher pressed up against the wall to avoid the oncoming bullets.

"Cypher!" She shouted. "Come on!"

Cypher gave her a hesitant glance, only shuffling forward a few steps. Trinity had no choice but to leave him, dropping into the manhole and sealing the entrance over her. Landing in the moist and sodden underground, she hurried to the front of the others and ran down the foul smelling tunnel, completely unsure of where it would lead her.

"Trinity, where are we going?" Switch questioned from behind her. "And where's Cypher?"

"I can't answer either question." Trinity replied. "Because I honestly don't know."

"I've still got my phone." Apoc suggested. "Perhaps we should call Tank."

Trinity nodded, taking it from him. "Once we get out of here."

Switch had always known that Trinity was above her in rank and always would be. But because Morpheus had always been present for leadership, the second-in-command had never really needed to take on that role. Switch had always considered herself equal to Trinity, because that was the way Trinity treated her. She found it odd, taking orders from someone she'd always thought of as a fair, trustworthy and close friend, but realized that if Morpheus didn't survive, she may have to become more accustomed to this.

Trinity reached the opening at the other end of the manhole, sliding it aside and emerging in the middle of a busy city street. Taking lead through the bustle of traffic, she hurried to the path and proceeded aimlessly while dialing Tank's number on Apoc's phone.

Neo hurried to stay beside Trinity, as she was moving at an outrageously fast pace. If he'd not been in the situation he was in, he would have marveled at the radiant beauty that seemed to shine from the woman beside him as she swerved between crowds of businessmen. He had more pressing matters on his mind at the moment, like the fate of his captain.

"Tank, it's me." Trinity said once Tank had answered the phone.

"Is Morpheus alive?" Neo asked worriedly.

"Is Morpheus alive, Tank?" Trinity repeated into the phone. She listened in silence briefly before answering him. "He's alive."

_But for how long? _Neo drifted back into his own state of mind as Trinity continued her conversation on the phone. He felt terrible for what had happened...Morpheus had sacrificed himself to save Neo. And after everything Morpheus had done for him, especially when Neo wasn't even the One at all, this hardly seemed a good way to repay him. He was now left with mingled feelings of depression and guilt.

"Follow me." Trinity ordered after hanging up the phone and pocketing it. She changed direction and started back down the street, scanning the shops for the one that contained the exit. Eventually noticing the closed doors of an ancient TV repair shop, she hurried around to the back entrance and kicked the door down, following the sounds of a ringing phone.

"You first, Neo." She instructed, handing him the phone. Neo nodded, taking the phone and pressing it against his hear, expecting to be transported back into the construct. But instead, a rhythmic beating hummed in his ear and he held the receiver away in slight surprise.

"I don't know. It just went dead." He shrugged. Trinity took the phone from his hand and slammed it down fiercely, sighing in aggravation.

_I'm not in the mood for this shit. If this is just another one of Tank's jokes, I swear I'm going to murder him once I get back on board the ship. But I'd rather just go to sleep and awaken to find out that it's all just some strange dream._

Dialing Tank on her phone yet again, Trinity held it to her ear as she paced the room slowly. Neo watched her silently, secretly a little hurt that she'd acted in such a savage manner earlier. But he supposed that this was one of the many reasons why he liked her so much- she didn't take anyone's shit. He grinned to himself, but frowned in confusion once Trinity started her conversation.

"Hello, Trinity." Said a sinister voice on the other end of the phone.

"Cypher?" Trinity exclaimed in confusion, noticing something in his tone that hadn't been present before. Somehow, she felt as if some invisible and particularly revolting and repulsive was pressing against her body. "Where's Tank?"

Cypher sighed, relaxing in the relief that seeped through him, finally being able to say what had been on his mind for such a long time. He pressed himself against her limp and perfect feminine figure, taking in her scent and brushing back strands of her luscious ebony hair.

"You know, for a long time, I thought I was...in love with you. I used to dream about you. You're a beautiful woman, Trinity. Too bad things had to turn out this way...."

"You killed them!" Trinity cried, jumping at the sudden realization. So it had been Cypher who had handed Morpheus over to the Agents! It was Cypher who had the police kill Mouse!

"What!?" Apoc asked, tearing his sunglasses from his face.

"Oh God." Switch blinked in understanding, lowering her sunglasses and gun in shock.

"I'm tired, Trinity." Cypher continued. "I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of this ship, being cold and eating the same god damn goop everyday. But most of all, I'm tired of that jack-off and all of his bullshit."

As he rambled on about Morpheus and she felt the invisible slimy sensation move away from her, Trinity continued to pace the room, shaking her head on denial.

_No...Cypher can't be doing this. He can't betray us like this. I've always hated him, but I never expected him to be pure evil. How can he...............oh God, he used to dream about me! That's revolting!_

"You gave them Morpheus." Trinity concluded, seeing the shock reflected in the eyes of her three companions.

"He lied to us, Trinity. He tricked us!" Cypher shouted angrily. "If you would have told us the truth, we would have told you to shove that red pill right up your ass!"

"That's not true, Cypher. He set us free." Trinity reasoned, daring to hope that perhaps there was a slither of good still left in him.

"Free? You call this free?" Cypher sighed heavily. "All I do is what he tells me to do. If I had to choose between that and the Matrix, I'd choose the Matrix."

"The Matrix isn't real!" Trinity cried in irritation.

"I disagree, Trinity. I think that the Matrix can be more real than this world. All I do is pull the plug here...but there, you have to watch Apoc die."

Trinity's eyes flicked to Apoc, who was standing innocently to the side, confused by her one side of the conversation. But the look in her eyes must have conveyed his fate, because Apoc's eyes lit up in fear. Trinity blinked apologetically, wishing there was something she could do to save him...for Switch's sake.

"Trinity." He breathed before he collapsed to the floor in death, his mind ripped from his digital body. Both Trinity and Neo felt their breath catch in their throat and their hearts clench in sadness.

"No!" Switch cried, running to his side and shaking his fragile body as if it would somehow bring him back to life. Silvery tears spilled down her cheeks, staining her lover's dark trench coat as he clutched his back tightly.

"Welcome to the real world, huh baby?" Cypher joked cynically in Trinity's ear.

"But you're out, Cypher. You can't go back!" Trinity reasoned, although she hardly saw why this argument would stop him from killing the others. She glanced between Neo and Switch...who's life would he take next? The life of one of her two closest friends, or the life or her...actually, she had no idea what Neo was to her.

"Oh no. That's what you think." Cypher chuckled. "They're going to reinsert my body. I go back to sleep, and when I wake up, I won't remember a god damn thing. By the way, if you have anything terribly important to say to Switch, I suggest you say it now..."

"No, please don't." She whispered into the phone, feeling her heart swell and slide up into her throat when she fixed eyes on the body of her mourning friend. Tears filled her eyes, but she held them inside, knowing that there was nothing she could do to save the other woman.

_If this is to be Switch's last moments alive...then I want her to remember me as the woman she has always known me to be. I don't want her to have to see me cry in her last moments of life...no matter what happens, I won't cry..._

"Not like this." Switch whispered to Apoc when she realized she would be next. Her eyes drifted from him for the last time and fixed on her best friend instead. She could tell that Trinity was holding all her emotions at bay, and knew that she was doing it for her sake. All at once, emotions Switch had been keeping hidden fought to be revealed. She wanted to tell Trinity what she'd meant to her, how their friendship had helped her to become the woman she was. But no matter how she tried, she couldn't put her thoughts into words. What really bothered her was that she wouldn't have had the time to say everything even if she had been able to. "Not like this." She repeated instead.

With that, Switch fell to the floor, collapsing beside the man she loved and letting death claim her so that they could be united again. Trinity felt the dams in her eyes crack, but she fought diligently to hold them back.

_I won't cry...she wouldn't have wanted me to cry._

"Goddamn you, Cypher!" She screamed, taking her rage out on the phone she still held to her ear.

"Don't hate me Trinity...I'm just a messenger, and right now I'm gonna prove it to you. If Morpheus was right, then there's no way I can pull this plug. I mean, if Neo's the One, then there'd have to be some kinda miracle to stop me, right? I mean, how can he be the One...if he's dead?"

Neo, who had knelt beside the bodies of Apoc and Switch in shock after the second death and was feeling a bit lost by the sudden deaths of his crew mates and the one side of Trinity's conversation, was now slowly getting to his feet and wondering if he would be the next to die. Sure enough, Trinity was staring at him with those penetrating eyes of hers with mixed emotions of mingled fear and sadness blended within her stony gaze. Part of him wanted to just march across the room and hold her in his arms...kiss her neck and cry with her as he died...if he was going to die. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was that he wasn't the One...he wanted to tell her he was sorry he wouldn't be there for her....but he knew she'd only push him away....he knew she didn't love him. Hell, he wasn't even sure if he loved her.

Trinity shook her head against the phone. Cypher had already taken so much from her, but he couldn't take Neo....no, she wouldn't let it happen. She couldn't let it happen. But what could she do to save him?

"You never did answer me before, if you bought into Morpheus's bullshit." Cypher continued. "Come on, all I want is a little yes or no."

Trinity knew what he was talking about. He was asking her if she believed Neo was the One or not. He didn't know that by admitting it, she'd also be admitting her love for Neo. But was she ready for that? It didn't matter now...this could be her last chance to tell him.

Cypher sighed heavily, growing impatient with her silence. "Look into his eyes, those big pretty eyes, and tell me: yes or no?"

Trinity obeyed, looking into the depths of Neo's eyes. She'd looked into his eyes so many times before, but this time...it was somehow different. Faced with the knowledge of his own upcoming death, she could no longer hold her feelings at bay. She became a fountain of emotions, exploding with feelings she'd never felt before. For the first time, she noticed the fire burning behind the softness of Neo's brown eyes...powerful flames that melted the ice in her own eyes and produced the key that would unlock her heart and bring years of a loveless life to an end.

She was in love. It was an unexplainable feeling...one that not even words could make seem real enough. It was something that had created itself and always been there...it just needed to be unlocked from her heart. And Neo was the key. He'd managed to do the impossible. He'd managed to open her soul. She came to realize what she'd always really known anyway.

_I'm in love with him. I love Neo, and not just because he is the One...but he has to be the One. He has to be. I may not believe in the prophecy, but I do believe in him. I always will._

"Yes." She whispered into the phone. She'd done it. She'd admitted it to herself. She'd even put it into a singular word in answer to Cypher's question. And she couldn't help but to swell with her own sense of self pride regardless of the situation she faced.

"No!" Cypher shouted in reply. "I don't believe it!"

There was a loud clatter, and then....nothing. At once, the phone on the desk began to ring once more, and the two living soldiers approached it cautiously, looking at each other in complete and utter confusion. Deciding that he should take lead for once, Neo took the phone and held it out to the woman opposite him.

"You first." He said awkwardly, as she accepted it and held it to her ear. Closing her eyes to the virtual world, Trinity reopened them and found herself back on the ship. Afraid she'd meet with Cypher, she sat up quickly and stared around her, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw his charred corpse lying a few meters away from her.

Tank stood beside her, placing the needle back on its stand. At once she noticed the large wound in his right side, glowing with red blood. Shuddering, she took his hand in her own.

"You're hurt." She whispered.

"I'll be alright." Tank smiled bravely, despite the pain throbbing in his body. Trinity's eyes swiveled around her briefly, searching for the other operator.

"Dozer?"

Tank shook his head sadly, tears building in his eyes. Putting her reputation aside yet again, Trinity pulled him into a hug. For once, she needed a shoulder to cry on, and she knew Tank did too. It was only a short while later that she remembered Neo was still in the construct.

"Neo-" Trinity began, but was cut off instantly.

"Oh yeah!" Tank grinned, despite his depression at the loss of his elder brother. "Oops, nearly forgot about him. Good thing I didn't jack him out first or he'd be feeling pretty jealous."

Trinity didn't bother to retort, too exhausted from the day's progression and her new resolutions to be worried about denying her new found love. She moved to Neo's chair and pulled the plug from the back of his head as his eyes sprung open.

Neo stared into Trinity's eyes awkwardly for a moment. There was something different about her...something he couldn't place. Ignoring this for the moment, he stood and took to helping Tank take the bodies of the dead and lie them out in a corner, covering them with thick woolen blankets, while Trinity stood and watched. She hated to think she was too weak to be helping them, but to cover Switch's lifeless face with a blanket would be too much for her to bare. Once it was done, she stood beside the mounds of dead, knowing she'd never look upon their faces again.

She hardly noticed that Neo and Tank and moved to Morpheus's chair and were discussing what had happened to him. Trinity knew there was only one thing the Agents would want from their captain, and she knew that they had methods for retrieving the information from him with ease. The Agents wanted access codes to Zion's mainframe. She also knew that if the Agents did get what they wanted, it would mean the end of the world as they knew it.

"Trinity," Tank called from across the room, catching her attention. "Zion is more important than me, or you, or even Morpheus."

Trinity turned, wondering where this conversation would lead while Neo shook his head in disbelief.

"Well, there has to be something we can do."

"There is." Tank said, his face grim as he met eyes with Trinity. "We pull the plug."

(o)

A/N: Suspenseful place to leave it? Well...not really, since you all know what's going to happen. Well I hope I at least built up the illusion of suspense. I'd just like to add that this chapter is actually pretty personal to me. I was crying when I wrote the part where Trinity admits her love for Neo because it is actually my own personal thoughts on someone else I know. Tell me if you think it is believable, as is the part where Switch dies.

In the next chapter, Neo will discover that he loves Trinity! Stay tuned for that and thanks for reading. Please review!!!


	11. Rescue

A/N: In regards to my reviewer, Alex, this story is going to lead right up until the exact moment Reloaded takes over, which means there are plenty more chapters to come! Unfortunately, I will not be able to update between Monday, 30th September and Thursday, 7th October because I will be away on vacation. Before I leave, I hope to get out a couple of chapters, but I am just warning you that I won't be able to update for about a week.

11

"You're going to kill him?" Trinity uttered in disbelief, turning to face her crewmate and close friend, her eyes widening in pure shock. "Kill Morpheus?"

"We don't have any other choice." Tank answered sadly.

Trinity shook her head in denial. This couldn't be happening! She'd already lost so much today, including one of the two people she only really knew as a friend. Morpheus was the closest thing she'd ever had to a real father. He'd taught her the truth and helped her to become the woman she was today. If it hadn't been for Morpheus, she would still be living in the Matrix. She wouldn't have ever been able to discover her hidden potential as a warrior. She would never have made any friends at all.

She would have never met Neo....

Shooting a glance to Neo from across the room, she silently enjoyed the sensation she received as her heart fluttered. She would no longer look at him in the way she had done before....now she knew for certain that this was real love. She wanted to tell him. She had to tell him. But now definitely wasn't the time.

She knew that what Tank was saying was right. Morpheus would want them to pull the plug, for Zion's sake. If they didn't, it would mean the end for every other human being in both the real world and the Matrix. She couldn't let that happen. But this knowledge didn't make it any easier.

_No matter what happens...I'm going to see this through. There's nothing I can do to save him, so I may as well accept his death. But I want to be here when they do it...............I won't cry._

Tank was still awaiting an answer, but Trinity's voice seemed to have drifted away with her happiness and joy in finally admitting her love. She moved to stand beside Neo, wishing she had the courage to take his hand in her own so that they could share the comfort they both desired. But Neo would never love her in return. He was so perfect, and she wasn't anything at all.

Tank's strong voice broke her train of thought suddenly as he rested a hand on Morpheus's head. "Morpheus, you're more than a leader to us, you're....a father. We'll miss you always."

As Tank's hand traveled to Morpheus's plug, Neo's mind whirred and a near forgotten segment of his talk with the Oracle was suddenly remembered in an instant.

_No, this can't be happening. Morpheus can't die, he can't...Wait, didn't the Oracle tell me that Morpheus would sacrifice himself to save me? Didn't she say I'd have to choose between his life and my own? The only reason Morpheus sacrificed himself was because he believed I was the One. But I'm not the One...I'm nothing special...so does it really matter that I die? I have nothing to live for, and at least death would save me from my own embarrassment..._

"Stop!" He cried, causing Tank and Trinity to spin round and give him their full attentions. "I don't believe this is happening."

"Neo, this has to be done." Tank argued.

"Does it?" Neo shook his head, unsure of how he could explain himself. Eventually, he decided simply to speak what was on his mind, no matter how crazy it sounded. "I-I don't know. This can't just be coincidence. It can't be."

"What are you talking about?" Tank questioned in confusion.

"The Oracle." Neo continued, his eyes swerving from one solider to the other. "She told me this would happen. She told me...that I could have to make a choice."

"What choice?" Trinity wondered. _He isn't making any sense!_

Without another word, Neo proceeded to his jack-in chair, unsure of how he could fully explain himself anyway. Startled, Trinity perused him in an attempt to find out what he was talking about. She heard Tank hurrying behind her, also in a state on uncertainty.

"What are you doing?" She asked his retreating back. Neo didn't dare look at her....he couldn't, because he knew that she would be the one reason he would want to stay.

"I'm going in." He told his monitor.

"No you're not!" Trinity cried in alarm. She hadn't expected this at all! _Why does he want to throw is life away like that? One or not, there is no way he could withstand an army of Agents without proper training!_

"I have to." Neo sighed, finally tearing his eyes away from the monitor to face her, and immediately wishing that he hadn't.

"Neo, Morpheus sacrificed himself so that we could get you out." Trinity ordered sternly, hoping he would see sense and abandon his ridiculous plan. If he was the One (which he most certainly was), she couldn't put his life at risk. Not only for the sake of herself, but for the sake of all mankind.

Neo sighed heavily. The moment of truth had come. There was no other way he could convince her to let him go. He would have to tell her. "Morpheus did what he did because he believed that I'm something I'm not."

"What?" Trinity questioned, her voice a mere whisper. His cryptic sentence could only have one explanation. But the answer wasn't one she wanted to hear.

"I'm not the One, Trinity." He said boldly, sadness mixed with each word. "The Oracle hit me with that, too."

Trinity struggled to hold in a gasp. It couldn't be true! He had to be lying! She now knew what Neo meant when they talked during his first night concussions on board the ship. How could the one thing she'd been sure about throughout the entire course of her life be a lie? This had to be some sort of trick! The Oracle had to be lying!

"No." She shook her head firmly. "You have to be."

"I'm not, I'm sorry." He said, giving her a deep and meaningful stare. He disappointment in her eyes was stronger than he could ever have imagined. "I'm just another guy."

"No, Neo...that's not true. It can't be true." She retorted weakly, although part of her knew his words were true. The Oracle never lied. Perhaps it was her heart that was lying....perhaps she wasn't in love...

"Why?" He replied, trying to convince her of the obvious truth. He couldn't have known the awkward situation he had just put her into.

_Because I'm in love with you._ It was the first thought that ran through her head, but she didn't dare speak it aloud. What would that have looked like? Even if Tank hadn't been in the room, she wouldn't have even tried to speak her mind. Instead, she swallowed and remained silent, coming into dreaded acceptance. He wasn't the One.

Tank began to try and talk him out of it, but Neo had already made up his mind. Trinity hardly listened to the conversation, too absorbed in her own sadness. Even if she scarcely paid attention to what was going on, she could almost feel the power radiating off what Neo said when he told her that he believed he could bring Morpheus back. There was a power hidden in the flames of his eyes, swelling in his spirit. It was a power that could be unlocked if it was provoked to. All someone had to do was awaken it....

When he began to prepare to jack-in once again, sudden realization swept over her. The One or not, Trinity still felt something for him, a feeling burning beneath her skin. Regardless of whether he was the One or not, the flames masked behind his eyes still seemed to be the key to unlocking her heart. She didn't need anyone to tell her she was in love. Not Tank, or Switch, or Morpheus, or the Oracle, or even Neo himself. She felt it herself. She knew it. Which meant that the Oracle was wrong.

Neo may not be the One, but she would still love him. Not for his title, as she feared she would have. But for him. She didn't love the One. She loved Neo. No one would ever be able to take that from her, just as no one could tell her if she was in love or not.

_But I can't let him fight and die alone..._

In an instant, Neo heard Trinity move up beside her and prepare to jack-in herself. His stomach fluttered when he came to realize what she was doing because he knew he couldn't let her do it. He couldn't and wouldn't let her die.

"What are you doing?" He questioned, although he already knew the answer.

"I'm going with you." She replied simply, as if the answer was something of little importance.

"No, you're not!" He ordered, forgetting to note that she was of a higher rank. He couldn't let her die...no matter what....he would make sure that she lived to see better days than these. A word without her would be....empty.

"No?" Trinity turned to face him, danger lurking in her eyes. She may have loved him, and he may have been able to provoke feelings from her that none other could, but she still stuck to her morals- she took no one's shit. All her life she had refused to take orders from anyone bellow her, and she wasn't planning on starting now. She sauntered towards him, her arms folded defiantly across her chest. "Let me tell you what I believe. I believe Morpheus means more to be than he does to you. I believe that if you are really serious about saving him, you are going to need my help. And since I am the ranking officer on this ship, if you don't like it, I believe you can go to hell. Because you aren't going anywhere else."

Neo was slightly taken aback, but still had to grin inwardly to himself. _There it is again...that spark, that flare she has that no other woman can muster. It's amazing just to watch her get angry, let alone be the victim of her rage._

"Tank," She commanded. "Load us up."

Tank jumped to the controls immediately, deciding that now simply wasn't the time to argue. When Trinity used that tone of voice, he knew that to disagree with her would be to basically sign your own death sentence. Despite his inward turmoil, he silently loaded Neo into the construct, followed closely by Trinity.

"So what do you guys need?" He asked Neo over the phone, muttering under his breath. "Besides a miracle."

"Guns." Neo answered after careful thought. "Lots of guns."

As soon as the words had left his lips, thousands upon thousands of assorted riffles appeared, whooshing around him and blowing his messy hair and dark clothes in the breeze it created. Trinity stood opposite him, clad in black leather and wearing a frown of uncertainty. He selected a gun from the rest, doing his best not to look at her, because he knew that when he did, he would try to convince her to turn back while she still could. Remembering that it was her decision to be here and not his, he refocused on the task at hand.

"Neo," Trinity whispered, voicing her fears aloud. "No one has ever done anything like this."

Neo turned to her, and saw the fear masked behind the harsh ice prison around her eyes. The pale tinge in her skin did not go unnoticed, nor did the way her slender frame trembled against her tight fitting leather, causing a single strand of ebony hair to slide over her ear and escape the rest.

"That's why it's going to work." He replied sternly while loading his gun, hoping that the words would give her hope and comfort.

He couldn't have known it then, but something as simple as his steady breathing gave her all the comfort she would ever need.

(o)

In her eleven years of being unplugged, Trinity had never experienced a fight quite like the one she took part in that day in the lobby of the government building. This was most likely because she hadn't ever tried to get inside a military controlled center with only a handful of guns before. Or it could have been because of Neo.

Even she had to admit that the quadruple kick her performed in the final stage of their fight was impressive. He was already doing things in the Matrix that she herself hadn't even considered trying until much later in life. If he wasn't the One, he was still a damn good fighter, and she was more than proud to be in love with him. Even if she thought her love would never be returned.

Before they had begun their shooting spree, Trinity had looked to Neo at the exact same time that he had looked at her before they darted to opposite ends of the room. In that split second, she somehow knew that everything would be fine. She knew that they would come out on top and defeat this small army, regardless of whether they were outnumbered or not.

After the fight, Trinity skidded across the floor and snatched up the bag they had bought with them, containing the plastique and napalm bomb. Silently, they proceeded into the elevator, leaving the lobby in pieces behind them.

Neo caught Trinity lowering herself to the elevator's floor, tossing her trench coat aside to reveal startling white shoulders and slender bare arms. This was his first time wearing a pair of sunglasses in the Matrix, and his eyes were still adjusting to the dim light they created. But even so, he made out enough of Trinity's outline to realize what she was doing, and pressed the emergency stop button causing the elevator to shudder and come to an abrupt halt. Reaching above him, he pulled down part of the roof and clambered atop the elevator, holding out a hand to help Trinity followed once she had wired the bomb.

Trinity stood in silence while Neo ratcheted a clamp down onto the elevator cable. He locked himself onto it slowly, while Trinity moved to do the same. Seeing no other way for them to travel up the cable together, she moved towards him and cautiously wrapped a shivering arm around the back of his neck, half expecting him to pull away from her. However, Neo only pulled her closer, wrapping his lower arm around her waist and marvelling at the fact that she would allow him to touch her in this way. Her body felt even more beautiful against his fingers than it did seem in real life, and he clutched her tightly, wishing he would never have to let go.

"There is no spoon." Neo whispered, staring into the dark throat of the building and taking a deep breath. Although she didn't at all understand the meaning of this comment, Trinity chose to ignore it for the time being.

As the pair secretly rejoiced in being so close, Neo pulled out a gun and pressed it to the cable, lower than where they had attached themselves. The cable bellow them snapped, and the counter-weights plummeted, yanking them through the shaft as the elevator fell away beneath them, distending space and filling it with the sound of whistling metal as they soared to the top. Somewhere bellow her, Trinity heard the elevator fall back into the lobby and the bomb explode and shuddered, tightening her hold on Neo and accidentally pulling him closer to her.

They arrived on the government rooftop, which was littered with policemen awaiting them in greeting along with a giant black helicopter whirring in the distance. At once, the pair separated and attacked with both guns and fists in a frenzy, killing every policeman they came in contact with.

Neo was fighting diligently. So well in fact, that he almost had Trinity convinced that they could really do the impossible. That was, until, she saw the agent. She tossed the knife into a policeman's forehead, knocking him back in death only to reveal what awaited them from behind. Agent Jones was making his way towards them, his eyes fixed souly on Neo's back.

Neo could see from the fear in her face that something bad lay behind him. He turned away from her, firing relentlessly at the Agent who neatly dodged each bullet until none was left. Defenceless and alone, he dropped both his guns and cried out for assistance.

"Trinity!" He shouted as Jones loaded his gun. "Help!"

Trinity watched in horror as bullets spilled from his gun. The air sizzled, and the attacker advanced, leaving her powerless to save the victim. Her horror transformed into amazement almost instantly, as he bent back further than humanly possible, twisting into a limbo position to avoid the attacks by mere millimetres. This skill was one that she had only seen Agents use, but Neo's abilities seemed to stretch beyond anything she had ever seen before. But perhaps he wasn't quick enough, as one of the bullets grazed his thigh, leaving a red groove. He cried out in pain, falling backwards and collapsing onto the cemented surface.

She acted quickly, seizing one of the guns owned by a fallen policeman. Carefully, she snuck up behind Jones and aimed her weapon at his temple, preparing to fire.

Neo blinked into the eyes of his enemy, still recovering from the shock of what had just happened. How he had been able to perform such an impossible bending act, he was not sure. All he knew was that he had somehow managed to do it by finding and unleashing something within him, and it had come from thinking about Trinity while in battle.

"Only human." Jones muttered, preparing to fire the fatal blow, but before he could, a second gun was placed at his temple.

"Dodge this."

A gunshot rang across the government rooftop as Jones fell back several feet and transformed back into the body of his now dead host. Chocking in surprise, Neo caught sight of Trinity standing with her legs slightly apart, still holding the end of the smoking handgun at where Jones's temple had only just been. He grinned to himself, not bothering to stand up but basking in the moment instead.

_God, she is sexy..._

He firm hand was held out to him and Neo grasped it, allowing it's owner to pull him to his feet.

"How did you do that?" Trinity asked curiously.

"Do what?" Neo replied as he removed his trench coat and tossed it aside.

"You moved like they do," She nodded to the limp body of the dead host. "I've never seen anyone move that fast."

Neo inspected the light graze to his side. "I wasn't fast enough." He scanned the roof, wondering how he would be able to make his way back down to find Morpheus now that the elevator was out of operation. He spied the helicopter and an idea came to mind. "Can you fly that thing?"

"Not yet." Trinity said, taking her phone from her belt and dialling Tank, demanding a pilot program be uploaded into her head. Moments later, Trinity rewound the new knowledge in her mind before proceeding to the helicopter and beckoning Neo after her. "Let's go."

She leapt to the controls, Neo sliding in behind her and taking to the large helicopter machine gun in the back bay. The engines reeved, and soon the helicopter was soaring through the sky, gliding down the side of the building. Neo peered in through the windows, searching the empty rooms for any sign of his captain, finally coming upon the correct frame. Trinity braked the helicopter aloft in the sky, glancing over her shoulder to watch the scene that was sure to follow.

Neo fired, and the bullets exploded through the windows in a cacophony of crashing glass, as the three Agents reached for their weapons. But he was too close, the machine gun too fast, and the bullets were everywhere, perforating the room. Eventually, all three Agents were struck and fell to the ground. But Neo was certain that they would not have time to waist. The Agents would already be finding a new host.

When Neo realized that Morpheus wouldn't make the jump from the government building into the helicopter after freeing himself from the chains that held him to his seat, he had to act quickly. Seizing the end of a rope attached to the helicopter, he lunged forward, colliding with the captain before hurtling towards the ground. His rope stiffened, and Morpheus slipped away from him until all that held them was a single hand.

Trinity froze in amazement for less than a moment before pulling the helicopter away from the government building. She couldn't believe that they had really pulled it off! But perhaps she celebrated a little too soon, because a single bullet targeted by Agent Smith smashed into the fuel tank and punched the rear hull full of holes.

"Shit!" Trinity cursed, as warning beeps and signals flashed onto her screen. She guided the helicopter to the roof of the nearest safe building, hoping that Neo would see that he and Morpheus would have to drop so that she could land the vehicle. By some miracle, Neo managed to sense what was happening inside her mind and allowed Morpheus to fall onto the roof.

Neo followed, toppling onto the roof and rolling free as the rope behind him fell slack. He took in a large portion of the virtual air, relaxing now that the danger was over. It was only then that he saw the helicopter swoop over him and tumble over the edge of the roof, hurtling towards the earth, bringing death to whoever was still inside it.

"Trinity..." Neo whispered, snatching the rope in his hands once more and swinging it like a lasso, hoping that this movement would take Trinity's attention and she would cut it free so he could use it to pull her to safety. He fell to his back with the weight of the helicopter and allowed himself to be dragged across the rooftop after it, blind faith being the only thing holding him together.

_Trinity can't die...she can't. I won't let her. I swear here and now that I will not and cannot allow her to die in this world or any other world. I am going to save her, even if it costs me my own life._

Inside the helicopter, Trinity noticed a fierce tug on a nearby rope amongst the warnings and beeps the machine was giving to her. Remembering that this was the same rope Neo and Morpheus had been hanging from, she scrambled from her seat and shot it free, swinging from the helicopter and praying that someone was still holding onto the other end.

She felt a rush of air sting her face as she swooped away from the helicopter, which clashed with the glass against the building behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the glass ripple before it blew out of the windows, barely missing her skin. She banged into the lower window against the opposite building, cringing as the shards of glass made painful contact with her bare arms. Clutching on to the rope with every ounce of her strength, Trinity felt herself being pulled up until she was over the edge of the building, and nestling safely in the arms of none other than Neo himself.

_So he was the one who saved me._ Trinity thought happily to herself as he pulled her over the building's edge after him, still not even trying to loosen his tight grasp on her arms, holding her close to him. She could see something in his eyes, as if he was connected to her in a way she couldn't explain. Almost as if the hidden power she had seen before was threatening to reach its full potential. It was then, nestled in against his arms that she did come to a powerful realization. _It wasn't my prophecy that the Oracle got wrong, it was Neo's. He is the One, I know it. How else would he be able to save me? How else could he move in the same way the Agents do? Why else would I be in love with him? Fuck the Oracle. Neo is the One. I know he is._

Neo held Trinity, not daring to let go. He almost feared that if he did, her life would be at risk again and she would die. He didn't even want to think about that...all he wanted to think about was right now, and how wonderful it felt to have her so close to him, to run his fingers across her skin and to loose himself within her eyes. He knew that his thoughts sounded corny and stupid, but right now, he couldn't care less. She was _his _enigma, _his_ 'dark angel'....and he loved her. He knew it for certain right then, atop that rooftop as he held her. He was very much in love with her.

_But does she love me?_

"Do you believe it now, Trinity?" Morpheus questioned as he approached the pair. Trinity fixed her eyes on him, the hidden smile on her face being the only answer he needed in reply.

"Morpheus, the Oracle...." Neo sighed, deciding there was no better time to tell his captain the truth. "She told me-"

"She told you exactly what you needed to hear, that's all." Morpheus smiled kindly. "Neo, sooner or later you're going to realize just as I did, that there's a difference between knowing the path...and walking the path."

Trinity smiled secretly to herself as Morpheus dialled Tank and requested an exit. There was a deeper meaning behind his words, or at least to her there was. So maybe she knew that Neo was not meant to be the One. But that did not mean that he wouldn't become a hero and take the path the One is meant to take....and it certainly didn't mean that she couldn't be in love with him.

_It's too late, anyway._ She thought to herself as she walked alongside Neo towards the subway station. _I already am._

(o)

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! Please review and tell me what you think!


	12. Life Giving Kiss

A/N: The first part of this chapter is dedicated to Chelsey, because she has a weird obsession with the bum in the Matrix movie. Seeing as the bum will only ever appear once, I thought that I should dedicate the first half of the chapter to her. The second half (the romancy stuff) is dedicated to Monique.

12

Trinity, Morpheus and Neo ran the whole way to the subway station, too preoccupied with the task at hand to engage in any sort of conversation. Morpheus led the way, through the bustling city streets until they reached the grungy and abandoned platform, covered in graffiti and shining with neglect. Neither took any notice of the bum lying several feet away, watching them without much interest.

"You first, Morpheus." Neo said, placing a hand on the shoulder of his captain. Morpheus nodded, taking the ringing payphone in his hand and disappearing into nothing as he made the journey back into the real world.

The payphone began to ring again almost instantly, and the pair that was left looked to it, expecting the other to take it. Trinity watched Neo in uncertainty as he stood opposite her, dirty and grazed from the day's events.

_I need to tell him. _She decided. _But I can't tell him now, when we're still in danger. But when would I have any other time? It isn't as if we'll get this opportunity to be alone again anytime soon..._

"Neo, I want to tell you something." She began, hearing her heart thud anxiously in her chest, but somehow managing to keep her voice firm and even. "But....I'm afraid of what it could mean if I do."

Neo coaxed his head to the side in slight confusion, unsure of what she could mean by this. She looked as beautiful as ever, with her hair slightly dishevelled and her leather clothes clinging tightly to her pale skin. She stood in silence, as if expecting an answer, although Neo had no idea how he could reply.

"Everything the Oracle has told me has come true." She continued. Her throat pained her as if every word was an effort to say, but nevertheless, she insisted on seeing this through. She had to tell him. It was now or never. "Everything but this."

"What?" Neo asked quietly, the question lingering in his eyes. _What does Trinity's prophecy have to do with anything that's happening right now?_

Trinity opened her mouth to reply, the dreaded words of love touching the tip of her tongue and threatening to escape. But before she could form them into a sentence, a train sped past them, zooming past the platform and filling the small area with the metallic sound of scraping metal. It was then that she realised that this simply wasn't the time to tell him, especially when they were still in the Matrix.

_The fire behind his eyes is the key to unlocking my heart? How corny and stupid does that sound! I'm sounding like some love-sick teenager again, and I don't even know if Neo feels the same way about me. I can't tell him...not yet, anyway._

Neo frowned when he saw the hurt in her eyes, her lips still parted slightly as if the words were still threatening to escape. But she uttered no sound and shuffled embarrassedly towards the ringing payphone, taking it in her hand.

_I'll ask her later. Neo decided. When we're alone sometime...maybe I could tell her I love her then, too. But now isn't the time. Now we have to worry about getting out._

It was just as these thoughts past through Neo's mind, that they saw the Agent. He approached them from seemingly nowhere, using the body of the bum as a host. He aimed his gun and fired at the payphone mere seconds after Trinity had past into safety, leaving Neo alone and stranded in the Matrix.

"Neo!" Trinity whispered the moment the needle had been pulled from the base of her skull and her eyes had sprung open.

"What the hell just happened?" Tank asked, standing up from his place at the consol.

"An Agent." Trinity said worriedly. "You have to send me back."

"I can't!" Tank cried, jumping back to the controls. Trinity cursed under her breath, hurrying to stand behind him.

"Run, Neo, run." She silently urged him, although she knew it was impossible for him to hear her. _He can't die...he just can't..._

Neo saw the Agent approaching. He saw the stairs only a few paces away from where he stood, and heard a faint whisper in his ears, as if an angel or some other mystical being was guiding him and telling him what to do. The voice was telling him to run. But he didn't want to run. Looking back into the eyes of the Agent, a gut feeling told him exactly what he needed to do.

"What is he doing?" Trinity asked quietly to a smiling Morpheus standing beside her, as Neo clenched his hands into fists.

"He's beginning to believe." Morpheus beamed, his eyes sparkling with a hidden knowledge.

_Believe what? That he's the One?_ Trinity doubted that. She knew that the Oracle had been wrong about Neo's prophecy, yet she also knew that he wouldn't have enough belief in himself to question her words.

Neo took out his gun and fired, clashing with the Agent and knocking them both to the floor. Trinity watched in silent horror as he sprung back to his feet and cast his empty gun aside, the Agent following his lead. It was as if she was reliving the turmoil of Neo's first training day over again. Only this time it wasn't just a training simulation. This was for real.

Each time Neo landed a punch on the unsuspecting Agent, her heart swelled with inner pride. At least until the Agent attacked Neo with a fury of punches and kicks, causing him to fall, face-down into the concrete. Unable to watch any longer, she moved to Neo's side just as a fountain of blood spurted from his mouth and trickled down his cheeks.

"Jesus, he's killing him." She muttered to herself, tearing a piece of cloth and dabbing it at Neo's mouth, pressing it against his skin to stop the bleeding. His body appeared so fragile and helpless, lying limp in its chair. She could hardly see how something so innocent and weak in appearance could survive.

She didn't dare touch him, using the cloth to keep the distance between the tips of her fingers and his mouth. He was breathing...slowly...carefully. She remembered how much faith she had shown in him only moments before when he had saved her life atop the roof of that building. She remembered that she loved him, and therefore he was the One, regardless of what the Oracle said. Eventually, all clouds of doubt had been lifted from her soul.

But when the Agent (who she later came to know as Smith) tossed him into the ticket booth in a shattering display of broken metal and glass, she cringed with pain as if those blows had been aimed at her instead. Smith took Neo's heel and dragged him over the platform, lowering him onto the tracks.

The train hummed in the distance, and Smith held Neo in a head lock, ready to jump back onto the platform split seconds before the train collided with his victim. Neo shivered with fear as the blood leaked from his mouth. They shared a brief conversation, and then with his last ounce of strength, Neo pushed Agent Smith up to the ceiling with him, then down onto the track again, back flipping back onto the platform just before the train zoomed by and flattened Smith.

Neo clenched his teeth in concentration as the train skimmed past his chest, missing him by inches. Again, he was filled with puzzlement, wondering how he'd been able to do the impossible yet again. The answer soon came to him when he remembered that his pattern of thought had been similar each time he'd achieved something incredible to save the life of himself or Trinity.

If he died, or if she died, he'd never be able to see her again...

It was as if thinking about her gave him strength. Smirking to himself at the thought as he gloated over the death of his enemy, Neo was consumed by shock when the doors of the train sprung open only to reveal a grimacing Smith, using a new body as host. At once, Neo broke into a run, darting along the city streets.

Meanwhile Trinity, who had been smiling with her own sense of pride when Neo had defeated the Agent while she stood beside his body, scowled suddenly when she noticed Tank's forehead curve into frown lines.

"What happened?" She asked in bewilderment.

"I don't know. I lost him." Tank replied truthfully, tapping a few keys just as a nearby screen began to flash and beep, sending an alarm throughout the ship. "Oh shit!"

Immediately, Morpheus tore away from the others, ascending the ladder into the cockpit with Trinity only a short way behind him. She took to the co-pilot's seat beside her captain, while he brought up the neon blue image of three approaching sentinels.

"Sentinels!" Trinity cried. "How long?"

"Five, maybe six minutes." Morpheus replied, struggling to keep his voice level as he held the intercom to his lips. "Tank, charge the E.M.P."

Trinity turned to face him, her eyes wide with shock. "We can't use that until he's out." _How can Morpheus even think of doing something like that?_

"I know, Trinity...don't worry." Morpheus murmured, mostly to comfort himself. "He's going to make it."

Trinity froze with uncertainty, holding onto the cuffs of her over-shirt and squeezing them tightly, praying silently to herself for Neo's safety, and her own. Morpheus noticed the doubt masked within the stony expression of his best (and now longest) serving solider, fixing her with a hard, stern look.

"Back to the core." Morpheus ordered, standing first and moving back to the ladder. "Come on."

Trinity nodded, scrambling down the ladder after him and immediately taking her place beside Neo once more, leaning her weight on his chair just as the computer warned of the hull breach.

"On no..." She whispered anxiously.

"Here they come." Morpheus sighed, nodding to Tank who began to charge the E.M.P, catching the fear in Trinity's face as she looked between Neo and himself before he stated comfortingly. "He's going to make it."

Tank was already giving Neo his final directions towards the nearest exit, and Morpheus was leaning over his shoulder, watching the screens intently as the ship rattled and the sentinels broke into the rear end of the ship.

"Hurry, Neo." She whispered in his ear, dabbing his forehead with a cloth soothingly.

The same voice that had told Neo he needed to run before was now telling him to hurry. It was clearer now, but still not recognizable as anyone he knew. Perhaps it was his own conscious, or maybe it was the voice of some sort of mythical being. Whatever it was, it was giving him strength, and he felt himself speeding up as he sprinted down the corridors of the hotel towards room 303 (the room Tank had directed him to).

He rounded a corner, using the echoing voice as a power source to make him run faster and faster in order to avoid the Agents pursuing him. He heard the ringing phone only a few steps away from where he was. He reached the door to room 303 and wrenched it open. He couldn't have known that Agent Smith awaited him behind a door, ready with a gun pointed directly at his chest.

The gun was shot before Neo even had a chance to realize that Smith was there at all. He stared into the eyes of his enemy, tasting the foul stench of fresh blood in the air. His blood. He lifted his hand from his chest, pulling it back to reveal stains of pure blood dripping of the tips of his fingers.

_No._ He refocused on Smith's face. _It can't be over...I can't be dying...I can't be._

Smith shot again, sending him into the wall behind him this time, leaving a large patch of blood in its place. The pain was unbelievable, and like nothing he'd ever felt before in his life. But he refused to give Smith the satisfaction of his anguished cry of agony. He grit his teeth and took each shot, jabbing him in his chest and making everything throb and sting as the hurt streamed through his veins. Shot after painful shot, until his vision blurred, and he could no longer hold himself upright.

He staggered, sliding down the wall and leaving a streak of blood behind him. Now he could see nothing but darkness...darkness everywhere....like a hallway of some sort, a hallway leading to his own demise. He was falling down through the hallway now, falling towards whatever waited for him at the end. Somehow, he knew that what awaited him wasn't anything good...

He was dead before he hit the floor.

(o)

"Can't be..." Morpheus stuttered, reading Neo's blank monitor. None seemed to notice nor care that the sentinels had broken into the main deck and were tearing everything apart.

Trinity lowered her face from the monitor, too afraid to look at it again. Tears swelled in her eyes, but she blinked them away firmly, refusing to cry. Her hands trembled, and she held Neo's chair for support. It was all she had to stabilize herself from collapsing in a crying heap. She loved him. But he was dead. No, that wasn't right. It couldn't be it?

_He can't be dead...he can't be...it's impossible. I love him too much to let him die...I've already spent so many years alone, but I can't live another day without him. I won't...I can't...and he can't be dead. I love him, so he is the One. The Oracle got his prophecy wrong, remember? Which means that he can't be dead. I refuse to believe it. It's real love...it must be, because I found my love for him all on my own, regardless of what the Oracle had told me...he can't be dead..._

She had to tell him. She wasn't afraid to tell him any longer. She'd already waisted so much time questioning her feelings when they had been present all along. And now it was too late....no, not really. She loved him. He was the One. Which meant that it was not time for him to die. She leaned over his limp body, taking him in her arms. His skin was still warm. She didn't know what to say...how could she tell him everything in the short amount of time that she had left before the sentinels were sure to take her life?

"Neo, I'm not afraid anymore." She whispered against his lips, deciding to speak the words that were on her mind. "The Oracle told me that I would fall in love, and that man...the man that I loved would be the One. So you see? You can't be dead...you can't be...because I love you? You hear me? I love you!"

How he would be able to hear her in death, she didn't know. But the words that she spoke were purely the first words that came to mind when she focused directly on his closed eyelids. Without knowing what else she could do, she bent and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, soft and tender against the warmth of his skin.

Yes, his lips were warm...and just as soft as she'd imagined they'd be before. She sunk into the kiss, gripping his shoulders and moving her lips against his, basking in the pure bliss of the moment. Everything else seemed to disappear. No longer could she hear the sounds of the attacking sentinels behind her. No longer could she see the devastation lingering in her home. All she could see, hear, touch, see or smell was Neo.

And by God, did he smell good....

(o)

_Neo, I'm not afraid anymore. The Oracle told me that I would fall in love, and that man...the man that I loved would be the One. So you see? You can't be dead...you can't be...because I love you? You hear me? I love you!_

These were the words that Neo heard clearly in the corners of his mind as he floated further into the darkness of death. Pain had long since left him, as had any feeling in his body, leaving him with nothing but emptiness and cold.

_I know that voice._ He decided, falling further and further towards his doom. _But who's is it?.........It's a beautiful voice, like an angle's...a dark angel's.........oh god, it's Trinity's voice!_

Trinity loved him! She really did! He could hear her voice so clearly in his head, and somehow he knew that he wasn't just hearing things. His mind could never create the beauty he heard each time he listened to her voice on its own! She had been the voice in his ears giving him strength, helping him to fight!

A warm, tingling sensation crossed his lips, as if something was touching them, and he longed to touch whatever it was back. He knew he had something to fight for, now. He had to fight so that he could see her again. So that he could live long enough to let her know that he loved her too.

_So what the hell am I doing here then? I need to destroy those Agents! I need to get back to the ship! I need to see Trinity again...so I can't be here anymore...I won't die...I won't._

His eyes sprung open suddenly as the feeling came back into his body. He was back in the Matrix, lying on the floor of the hotel again. Agents were a few paces from him at the end of the narrow corridor. He knew it without having to even look up, as if he felt their presence within him. Words the Oracle had told him were coming back to him suddenly.

_You've got the gift...but it looks life you're waiting for something._

He'd been waiting for her. This explained why he was able to unleash some of his hidden potential every time he thought about her during a battle. Now he was the One. He knew it, because he believed this just as much as he believed he loved her. He could do it...he could defeat the Agents...he would see her again.

"Now get up!" Ordered Trinity's voice inside his mind. Obediently, he leapt to his feet, much to the surprise of Agents Smith, Jones and Brown.

"No!" Neo said firmly, as a startled Smith prepared to fire. Neo held his hand up to the oncoming bullets by a gut instinct, as if it were telling him what to do. The bullets stopped mere inches in front of his hand. He inspected one, before letting the rest drop to the floor while he marvelled at the green coding flashing before his eyes instead of the original shapes of the programs.

He could read the code...

An angry Smith lunged forward, attacking Neo in a fury of punches and kicks. Neo blocked each effortlessly, sending him flying back down the corridor with one sharp kick of his own. It was as if a secret program had been uploaded into his mind, because his powers as the One were telling him what he needed to do.

He charged at Smith, leaping inside his body as if it were nothing but liquid. The outer shell of Smith's body exploded into green coding, leaving Neo behind as he inhaled the virtual air. The other Agents shot a brief glance at the other before they broke into a run, and Neo had to pause and gloat over his victory, until he heard the urgency in Trinity's voice.

(o)

"How....?" Tank uttered in disbelief.

"He is the One!" Morpheus exclaimed, his eyes wide with happiness.

Trinity could hardly believe it herself. She had really brought him back to life with her love...with a kiss. He'd done what no other had ever been able to do before and deleted an Agent from the Matrix. Neo was the One....he was the one for her.

"Neo!" She cried. _Seriously, there isn't anytime to gloat._

She didn't even need to see Neo's eyes open to know that he was back. She knew it by instinct, as if some connection between herself and Neo was telling her that he had returned to the real world

The sentinel attacked, she screamed, ripping the plug from the base of Neo's skull and covering his body with her own, using herself as a protective shield just as Morpheus triggered the E.M.P. His body was warm and comforting against her....and she could hear his shallow breathing clearly in her ears.

There was a blinding flash of light as the sentinels dropped to the floor in death and the Nebuchadnezzar's engines died under the incredible power of it's own weapon. Trinity listened to the sounds of Neo's breathing, almost completely masked by the dying sentinels and engines. For one terrifying moment, the breathing stopped, and she was scared she may have pulled the plug too soon....that her instincts had been wrong. When all was still and silent, and darkness loomed around them, Trinity pulled herself away from him, blinking and allowing her eyes to adjust to the light.

Neo stared into her eyes, his face full of awe and lust, his eyes sparkling with love. She perched on the edge of his jack-in chair, her arms still fluttering about his heaving chest and her own eyes mirroring the love she shared for him, their icy prison melting away. She sat in uncertainty, having not really thought this far ahead.

Neo, too, wasn't completely sure of how he should act. After all, the voice he heard in his head may not have been her voice at all. But the fact that she was sitting on the edge of his chair and only moments ago had been pressed up against his body did arose some suspicion (coupled with the love shining in her eyes). He noticed a strand of her hair slip over her ear and fall onto her cheek. So many times had he seen this happen and longed to brush it back. He lifted a hand to her cheek, stroking it tenderly and awaiting a reaction, his eyes still wide with awe and love.

Relaxing beside him, Trinity lifted a hand and placed it behind the back of his neck. She had longed to touch him for so long, but had been afraid that he would protest. The fact that he and brought his hand to her cheek and was stroking it came almost as permission for her to touch him. The hand on her cheek fell into place perfectly, his fingers soft against her rough skin. The hand slipped behind her head, pulling the rouge strand of hair with it, and fell behind her, pulling her down into a kiss.

Neo felt the same warm tingling sensation he had felt before against his lips when she touched them as he had in the Matrix. Only now, it felt much more real. Her lips were as soft as her skin, sliding against his in a passionate kiss and he bit back against her hungrily, never wanting to pull away. Their lips moved together in perfect and rhythmic fashion as they shared the long awaited kiss. When she finally pulled away from him, he heard her sigh softly, breathing against his lips which were wet from her own and smiled, ignoring Morpheus and Tank watching them in a state of shock.

"Hi." He whispered quietly, now grinning rather sheepishly as she moved away from him enough to meet his eyes so that he could see the expression imprinted onto her face.

Trinity grinned widely, meeting his eyes directly and caressing his cheek as he had done to her, before she uttered her reply.

"Hi."

(o)

A/N: This will probably be my last chapter before I go on holidays (sob). The next chapter will be up around 7th October unless I somehow find the time to update it between now and when I leave in three days time (which I doubt) since I now have discovered that I am randomly going to someone's house at 1:00 tomorrow (PJ Monique). So goodbye until then and I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!


	13. Grieving

A/N: Yeah, I know, it's the 9th and I promised everyone I'd update by the seventh. But my family decided to extend the holiday and you know....what could I do? But I bought a notebook while I was away and handwrote the next three chapters-so now all I have to do is transfer them to the computer. Remember to read my little proposition at the end of the chapter, and I promise to continue to update as frequently as possible (which may not be that often since I have exams coming up).

13

"Ok." Stated a startled Tank, emerging from behind his consol, eyes wide with awe and complete confusion. "What the hell just happened over here?"

Neo said nothing, watching Trinity intently. She was still perched delicately on the edge of his jack-in chair, one arm resting on his chest and the other hanging limply by her side, her body weak and light against him. She was staring avidly into space, her head tilted downwards so that soft strands of hair slide over her pale cheeks-untouched by rays of sun yet tinged with a reddish hue. Her loose and tatty faded blue over-shirt had slid over the shoulder closest to him, as if her skin had proved too smooth for it to cling to, revealing the thin straps of her undershirt and the even thinner strap of her bra prodding out from underneath it against a velvety white shoulder. Her downcast eyes failed to reflect any emotions she may be feeling towards him, leaving Neo in a state of disbelief and puzzlement, although her was sure he saw the corners of her lips flicker upwards briefly when she lifted her hand from his chest and focused on his foot clasps instead.

Lips he had only just kissed....

Even now he found it hard to believe that she loved him. He could see, as he swiveled around in his chair, that Morpheus and Tank shared the same disbelief as they neared him.

Becoming conscious of the fact that she was still sitting on the edge of Neo's chair, Trinity felt her cheeks burn red and she scrambled to her feet in order to give Neo the room he needed to stand up. Judging by the expressions on the faces of the Nebuchadnezzar's remaining crew members, Trinity gathered that none had payed much attention (let alone heard) her confession of love and was silently thankful for it- not at all in the mood for facing a full confrontation yet.

Kissing Neo had been the most pleasurable things she'd ever experienced. It was a sensation of passion and joy only made stronger when they kissing the second time, when he had been physically able to kiss her back. Yet she was afraid that he would not feel the same way. Scared that her love would not be returned even now after all that had happened. Perhaps she had lied a little to him before when she said she was no longer afraid.

Neo pushed himself upwards in an attempt to sit up, only to cry out in pain when he felt an aching, throbbing sensation in his chest. He'd been far too enraptured in Trinity to take any notice of the bullet wounds in his chest and the bruises sure to be forming on his stomach beneath his shirt. He winced with pain, failing back into the chair as Trinity's eyes filled with concern.

"I better take him to the Med Bay." Trinity said urgently, taking Neo's arm and putting it around her shoulders, helping him stagger to his feet. She had used this method to assist other crew members to the Med Bay numerous times before and did so out of pure instinct. Yet things were (as they always were) very different when it came to Neo. Her entire body melted at the intensely close contact and she felt him tense beside her despite his injury, clinging to her tightly for support. She smiled inwardly to herself- this was the first time she'd been close enough to him long enough to register the way he reacted to her touch. This helped to ease away the cloud of doubt that he may not return her feelings.

"Tank, I'll need to stitch that wound." Morpheus gestured to the blood staining the side of his now only living operator's shirt. "You should be taken straight to the Med Bay as well."

Tank nodded, gritting his teeth in pain and yet managing to force a smile onto his face. "Yes, sir."

Trinity had already begun her walk to the Med Bay, guiding Neo and reacting to his support as he stumbled beside her, already half unconscious. She hardly heard Morpheus's and Tank's boots plodding down the corridor behind her, Neo's health being the only thing on her mind. Wrenching open the door to the Med Bay, she led Neo to the nearest table and lowered him onto it as gently as she could.

He emitted a soft groan of agony as his body came in contact with the frozen metal, snapping his eyes shut as if this would somehow block out the pain. Her eyes filling with sympathy and concern, Trinity kept her gaze on his chalk white face as her hand searched and found his own, clutching it tightly and spreading a sense of comfort throughout both. Trinity was surprised to find that his skin was cold after experiencing death.

_His lips felt so warm..._

"Trinity?" Morpheus asked quietly, helping Tank to the table beside the one Neo was lying upon. "Do you feeling alright."

"I'm fine." She lied, focusing on Neo's limp form as he breathed softly. Soothingly. In....out....in....out....

Morpheus nodded, turning his attentions back to Tank and filled a syringe with clear liquid before ejecting it into the already seemingly unconscious young operator. At once, Tank's body fell limp the table and he relaxed into sleep.

Trinity, meanwhile, grasped the hem of Neo's shirt and tugged it over his head, causing him to cry out in agony. Trinity winced, hating herself for causing his pain, yet taking comfort in the knowledge that she was helping him as well. The open bullet wounds on his chest were still bleeding rapidly, some much deeper than others and sure to leave scars that would last a good few months. To top it off, he had attained multiple bruises to his stomach from being punched ferociously and even larger bruise on his back from colliding with hard surfaces during his fight with Smith. Not to mention the graze wounds on his sides.

_Looks like I won't be getting any sleep tonight. _Trinity smirked to herself. Neo was already slumped across the table, seeming unconscious if it weren't for his heavy breathing mixed with pain. Part of her wished he weren't so exhausted or injured. Kissing him had only made her realize that being without love or a close relationship throughout her life had only resulted in her own emptiness and depression. Now that he'd tasted what it was like to be in love, she only wanted to further explore the relationship that was sure to follow. However, her rational mind new that Neo was not physically ready for this, nor was she emotionally ready. Love would have to wait another night.

She began to cleanse Neo's bullet wounds, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. She was still in a state of disbelief: unable to believe that the man she was tending to was the One, and therefore the man she gave her love to in order to save him. And unable to believe all that had happened in just one day.

_How could I loose almost everyone in one day? _She asked herself, sponging away Neo's blood with a damp cloth. _Why them? Why their lives? Cypher is such a bastard. What did the others ever do to him? Why the hell did they have to die?_

"Morpheus," Trinity whispered. Feeling tears prickle the corners of her eyes as she struggled to form words, still keeping watch over the now unconscious Neo. "What the hell just happened?"

Morpheus sighed, putting the damp cloth he was using to cleanse Tank's wound aside and crossing the room to stand beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and squeezing them gently.

"Honestly, Trinity, I hardly know myself." He smiled kindly, sadness shinning in his eyes. "If you feel like you can't do this....that you're too tired....I'll understand. I can finish treating Neo."

Trinity firmly shook her head, not tearing her eyes away from Neo's pain-stricken face. Although she welcomed the idea of sleep, she knew she wouldn't be able to rest until she knew Neo was in decent health. "No, I want to do it."

It was then that Morpheus noticed that Trinity was clutching Neo's hand tightly, running her thumb gently across his knuckles. He had thought he'd seen them kissing before but didn't dare believe it was real. His mind must have been playing tricks on him....something that absurd couldn't have been real. But the fact that she was holding his hand only made him curious and even more confused then he already had been. Moving back to Tank and preparing to stitch his now fully cleansed wound, he decided to question her.

"What I would really like to know." Morpheus began carefully, knowing that he would provoke know answers from her by simply asking straight out. "Is what brought Neo back to life in the first place. I saw him monitors dir with my own eyes, and yet here he is, a little worse for wear I must admit, but completely alive. How is that possible?"

Trinity let go of Neo's hand in order to inject him with a syringe and almost at once wished she hadn't. Her body froze to Morpheus's question, and she felt as if she needed the comfort only Neo could give her now more than ever. She watched as his body fell limp, and his pain-filled breathing slowed and calmed. Her was face was rigid and her hands trembled as she inspected the now cleansed wounds, deciding which ones would require stitching. Yet her mind was traveling elsewhere.

_I told Switch and Tank about my prophecy...why can't I tell Morpheus? Besides, he'd find out anyway now that Neo and I are...actually, I have no idea what to call the relationship we have now, if we have any at all._

"About eleven years ago." Trinity began, choosing her words carefully. "Six months after I was unplugged, you took me to see the Oracle. She told me.....she t-told me that I-I fall in love with the One. W-When Neo died I....I couldn't- no wouldn't believe it. I told him he couldn't be dead....that he had to be the One because I loved him. That's when he came back to life."

Trinity paused, her face flushed as Morpheus stared at her in shocked disbelief. Folding her arms across her chest, she kept her eyes on Neo's still face, gesturing to him as she spoke in her familiar commanding tone. "When he comes to, he should be able to give you a much better explanation than I can."

Morpheus said nothing, turning back to Tank. Trinity....and Neo? He wouldn't have expected something like that to happen in a million years. Trinity's prophecy came as the biggest shock to him....if he had known what the Oracle had told her before, he would have done things much differently. He wouldn't have kept trying to convince her that Neo was the One, for starters. He knew how hard it must have been for her, unsure of who was the One and who wasn't, perhaps hoping Neo was but still not daring to believe it. Worried she would love him because he was the One, and not because of who he was. Worst of all, she didn't even believe in the prophecy herself.

It must have been hell for her, having to endure all the snide comments she overheard Tank make about her and Neo when part of her knew that what he was saying was right. Although Tank wasn't to blame- how could he have known? He supposed then that he really couldn't blame himself for the way he spoke about Neo being the One so openly around her. How could he have known that he was toying with Trinity's emotions? Besides, what happened, happened for a reason. Maybe things would have been different if he knew Trinity's prophecy in advance, perhaps for the worse. Although he really couldn't see how their current situation could get any worse.

Now that he thought about it, he did notice something pass between the two of them leading up to the current day. Things that passed between them such as words or actions, obvious displays of affection. He smirked to himself as he continued to stitch up Tank's wound. He may have been an experienced hacker, captain, solider and fighter who could deft the rules of the Matrix and was considered legendary by all humans, but he was hopeless when it came to love.

Trinity was thankful for Morpheus's silence as it gave her time to think. Yet she was also unnerved by it. _What does Morpheus think about Neo and I? What if he doesn't like the idea of us being together and thinks it will disrupt the war? I don't think I could take it if Morpheus chose to separate us._

Time passed (neither Morpheus or Trinity were sure how long) before both Tank and Neo had both been stitched up. Once Morpheus finished treating Tank, he began to help Trinity with Neo by applying dressing to the bullet wounds that weren't deep enough to be stitched and using ice to numb the bruises on his stomach and back. They worked silently, both lost in their own thoughts as they rewound the day's events in their minds and tried to make sense of everything. Both had many questions they wished to ask the other, yet they both felt that now was not the time. When Neo's injuries had all finally been treated, Trinity and Morpheus stood back to rest, unsure of where to go from here. Finally, Morpheus spoke.

"What are we going to do with the bodies?" He asked, yet to discover why most of his crew (not including Mouse) were dead.

Trinity saw her own inner sadness mirrored in the eyes of her captain and shrugged. She felt weak and feeble with depression, unable to be described with words, yet still mixed with a joy of some kind. She loved Neo. He loved her. No one would ever be able to take that away from her. But this still didn't guarantee her everlasting happiness- the feelings she had hoped would accompany love. In fact, she felt empty and ashamed. Ashamed she could feel so happy when one of her two closest friends now lay dead only a few feet away from her, along with the rest of the crew.

"We can't leave them in the core." Morpheus continued sadly. "I think we should carry Neo and Tank back to their rooms and then carry the bodies in here. It's the best place I can think of putting them for now. But only if you think you can."

Trinity knew he was talking about her both being physically and mentally able to do this seemingly challenging task. Yet she pretended he only meant to ask if she was physically able to for her own benefit.

"I'm not tired." She murmured quietly. "I should be able to."

"Let's just see how we go." Morpheus smiled sadly, taking the used medical supplies to stow away. Trinity helped by taking the two damp and bloody cloths and washing them and ringing them dry.

Once this was done, Morpheus moved the table Neo lay unconscious upon and took his arms, preparing to lift the other man's upper body. Tucking an IV pouch under one arm, Trinity lifted Neo's legs and together with Morpheus, proceeded to fulfill the dangerous task of lifting him to the ladder that descended to the lower deck. They paused to exchange anxious glances, knowing that carrying Neo down the ladder would prove physically impossible, as it would be to awaken the unconscious Neo. Yet they needed the Med Bay empty to house the dead bodies of the rest of the crew. Eventually, Morpheus came up with the solution.

"Drop his legs and start down the ladder." Morpheus ordered. Trinity fixed him with a look of uncertainty, unsure of how this would improve the situation. Even so, she obeyed, hurrying down the first few rudders before dropping to the ground.

Moments later, Morpheus descended the ladder with the unconscious Neo slumped across his back. If it weren't for her already disturbed emotions, she would have thought the scene was comical, especially the look on Morpheus's face. But she upheld a stony expression until Morpheus reached the last rudder. She took hold of Neo's upper body and Morpheus turned to take his legs.

"Just take him into the nearest room." Morpheus instructed, nodding over her shoulder. "Directly behind you, through that open door."

Trinity knew who that room belonged to.....or _had _belonged to, because it was the room just next door to her own. It had belonged to Apoc and Switch and was the only room on the entire ship with a double bed.

She backed into the room and lowered the unconscious Neo onto the bed with expert care. After he rested Neo's legs, Morpheus stood in the doorframe, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest to watch the scene that followed. Trinity sat on the bed to carefully unbuckle Neo's boots and slide them off, dropping them to the floor. She moved him up against the wall so that she could hang the IV pouch (which had by some miracle remained securely tucked under her arm) on the wall and jab the needle into one of Neo's arm plugs, wincing as she did so, hating herself for hurting him. She knew from when she treated him previously that he hated IV pouches, but it couldn't be helped. And it would help him to heal much faster.

Morpheus watched on in amazement. He had never seen Trinity so careful with someone before, nor had he thought it was physically possible to put an IV pouch needle into another's arm plug so tenderly. He had seen the way Trinity winced when she knew she had to hurt him, noticed how careful she was to cause him as little pain as possible, and knew these were things Trinity didn't often do. He smiled to himself from the doorframe as Trinity tucked the blankets around Neo's waist, leaving his bare chest open to the cold so the blankets wouldn't scratch him and cause him any further discomfort, wondering how he had been able to miss seeing their love before.

They repeated the same procedure with Tank's unconscious body, taking him to the room opposite Neo's. Morpheus couldn't help noticing that although she was careful, Trinity was much more gentle with Neo than with Tank. Once this task was complete, the ascended the ladder and made their way to the core.

Silently, Morpheus reached the five bodied covered with ragged blankets and lying stiffly on the floor. Trinity stopped beside him, choking back tears and keeping her face as emotionless as possible. On the outside, she may have appeared cool, calm and collected while faced with a situation many people would crumble at. However, she was a mess of shattered emotions inside, completely destroyed by a sensation of experiencing too many entirely different feelings at once.

They took Cypher first. If she hadn't been able to control herself, she would have loved nothing better than to cause him great pain, so much that he would feel it in death. There was no feeling of pity, sadness or grief when she looked upon Cypher's covered face. Only purest loathing.

_That son of a bitch. He killed them all, the slimy bastard. He nearly took the lives of Morpheus and Tank...and even Neo, and all so he could get back in the fucking Matrix! Hell, he didn't even make it! They were all killed for nothing! Goddamit, Morpheus should have known better than to trust him after what happened before...he injured Neo, probably just because he was pissed that I was attracted to him. Oh God, he was actually attracted to me! That's repulsive!_

After taking Cypher's body to the Med Bay, Morpheus led the way back to the core with Trinity shuffling behind him, still stewing in her own rage with Cypher. She felt as if she would explode with rage if she didn't find a way to release her anger soon. But the moment she returned to the core, all feelings of anger seemed to evaporate when they collected Apoc's body.

_He was always so strong both mentally and physically...so sure of who he was as a person, with his own essence of self pride. Perhaps he was a little too quiet and private...but than again, so am I. He didn't deserve to die, especially the way he did. If he loved Switch half as much as I love Neo, then leaving her behind like that must have been hell for him, especially when he didn't know what was going to happen to her...although she didn't really live that much longer..._

Next, they returned for Dozer's body, and it seemed as if it kept getting worse. Trinity struggled to hold her tears at bay, building dams around her eyes to store all emotion behind them.

_Dozer wasn't one to talk much, but because of that he saw so much more than anyone else. He even noticed something between Neo and I...there was no reason for him to die. He saw Tank die and never lived long enough to see that he really would be ok._

They set Dozer's body on a table in the Med Bay, leaving only one table vacant which meant that there wouldn't be enough room and the only solution was that one body lie on the floor. In Trinity's frame of mind, the only person who deserved such treatment was Cypher. But Morpheus made no motion to move the body, most likely because he hadn't been told the story of Cypher's betrayal. Instead, he made his way back to the core, struggling to keep himself stable but not doing as good a job of it as Trinity was.

They took Mouse next, who's weight proved to be a lighter burden on Trinity's already exhausted arms but unfortunately not a lighter burden on her heart.

_He may have been annoying and woman-crazed, but he was the little brother I never had, and far too young to die. If he hadn't been the talkative, dirty-minded character he was, then life on board the Neb would have been a lot denser and plainer then it was. At least he died fighting...died a hero's death fighting unlike everyone else, just like the Oracle said he would. How ironic, since he was the best person I expected to die like that._

Switch was taken last. No thoughts crossed Trinity's mind as she lifted the other woman by the legs and, with Morpheus, proceeded to carry her into the Med Bay. She knew that if she allowed herself to think about Switch and the many times they'd shared from the day Trinity helped the only newly unplugged Apoc to unplug her until the day she died, the barrier would falter and she would break down and cry.

_I will not cry...I will not cry...Switch wouldn't want me to cry. She'd tell me I was being stupid, and that crying would only make me weak. She'd tell me to be emotionless, she'd tell me not to feel._

Trinity knew that these thoughts were wrong. If Switch was here, she would most likely say the exact opposite. Yet these thoughts were all that helped her to keep the emotions bubbling beneath her skin under control. However, they could do nothing to prevent her from crying out when the blanket covering Switch's face fell back to reveal a startling white face, cold and bitter having been left without life and eyelids snapped shut in death.

Morpheus said nothing, but fixed her with a look of concern that spoke for itself. Trinity shook her head, willing herself to see this through. But the battle she fought within her between her mind and her heart was coming to an abrupt end. The heart won. The damn in her eyes was beginning to break into an overload of tears.

Once Switch had been laid beside Apoc on a single table, Morpheus fixed Trinity with a stern look. "You're obviously exhausted, and you need to get some rest. I'll watch over the ship in case there's another sentinel attack. Although without any means of defense, I don't know what we could do. I suppose we'll just have to pray that our position is too remote and no sentinels will take notice of us. You should go to bed, and we'll start repairing the ship tomorrow."

He wasn't requesting that she sleep. He was ordering it. Unable to speak in her current state, Trinity merely nodded and hurried out of the Med Bay to the ladder. She jumped to the lower level, crossed the hall to her room, slammed the door shut behind her and collapsed onto her bed. All at once, tears began to spill from her eyes, staining her cheeks as she erupted in gasping sobs. She pounded the pillow in frustration and anger. Angry at Cypher for what he did, and frustrated with herself for being unable to stop it.

When she became too tired to take her anger out any longer, she fell onto the pillow with only sadness left in her heart as she grieved for all who had died, and especially for Switch. Pulling the blankets up to her chin to shield her from the cold and not even bothering to remove her boots (Let alone her other clothes), she lay a damp cheek against an equally damp pillow, sobbing silently to herself until her throat was too hoarse and her eyes to dry and swollen to cry any longer. She faced the wall with her back turned to the rest of the room, facing the metal wall.

_Neo's on the other side of that wall..._

It seemed stupid to her that something as small and insignificant as a steel wall could separate herself from him. Subconsciously, she pressed her body against the frozen metal, frosty and bitter cold on her tear-stained cheek in an attempt to close the gap between him and herself. Despite the coldness of the wall, she could almost feeling a comforting warmth pressed up against the other side. Hours past, and she eventually drifted into a restless sleep.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. And now for my proposition. I have decided, although I have already plotted and planned this entire story out, I will take a single request from the person who is my 100th reviewer. My 100th reviewer (and ONLY my 100th reviewer) can suggest anything they want me to do for this story-it can be a piece of dialogue, an action or an entire scene, whatever-and I have to include it sometime before the end of the story even if I don't like the idea. I want to know what you thought, so reviews are appreciated, and I want to make this story better for YOU, so tell me what I can improve and the 100th reviewer gets to make a request.

AND NO MONIQUE- NEO IS NOT GOING TO AIR GUITAR SO DON'T EVEN TRY IT!

Yes....um.....REVIEW!!!


	14. Talking it over

A/N: I have a whole heap of author's notes. Firstly, I must apologize as I didn't proof read my last chapter and therefore made several careless errors spelling and grammar wise. Hope it wasn't too annoying and I'll try to proof read more often.

Also, congratulations to my 100th reviewer, Q who requested a Neo/Trinity conversation about their relationship. So here it is-along with some stuff at the end I hope everyone will like! Chapter dedicated to Q because of the great suggestion- THANKS!

Q: I hope this chapter is what you wanted. Please tell me what you thought about it. Also, I'm sorry but I don't want to use the whole 'Logos rescues the Neb' thing because that plot line has been used too many times. Even though this is a recycled plot, I am trying my best to make it as original as possible. That's why I'm having the Neb's crew get themselves out of a sticky situation.

Warning that this is a long chapter (to go with a LONG author's note). But I hope you all enjoy it anyways!

14

Trinity awoke the next morning with a sharp pain in her back and shoulders. Figuring this must be caused from sleeping in such an unusual position, she rolled away from the wall and groaned, now regretting not getting a decent night's sleep.

Pushing back the covers, she scrambled out of bed with the intentions of checking on Neo and then getting something to eat before she started work on repairing the ship. Even if she hadn't been told to do so, she knew that she wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything unless she knew he had made it through the night. She tugged the door open, crossed to the next room and opened the door with a soft creak in case he may be sleeping. Despite her current state of depression, Trinity couldn't help but let a smile creep onto her face at the sight before her.

Even though he had a whole double bed to himself, Neo lay pressed up against the wall, tangled amongst his blankets with a small smile evident on his lips. She leaned against the doorframe, arms folded across her chest as she listened to the gentle sounds of his breathing. In....out....in....out....

Reluctantly, she left him and closed the door behind her as gently as she could.

_Take all the rest you can get, Neo. _She thought to herself. _I have a feeling you're going to need it._

(o)

Neo opened his eyes slowly, gazing drearily around at his new surroundings. He seemed to be in some sort of sleeping room...but who's, and where? After pondering this a while, he decided it didn't matter. The accommodation here was much better and he somehow felt that the environment was a safe one.

He moved away from the wall (which he had somehow felt drawn to in sleep last night) to stretch out across the bed, only to realize there was a needle in one of the plugs on his lower arm that was connected to an IV pouch. Gritting his teeth, he reached over with his free arm and tugged it out. The needle fell slack, the final dregs of clear fluid dripping onto the blankets.

He lay still, trying to recollect his thoughts, which proved to be difficult since he found he had a killer headache. The last clear memory he had was of kissing Trinity, and beyond that everything was a blur.

_I think I remember Trinity taking me to the Med Bay...She was talking to Morpheus...and she was holding my hand..._

The door to his room opened suddenly, causing Neo to jump. Trinity stood in the doorframe, disheveled and dirty with beads of sweat clinging to her forehead and still managing to look beautiful. At least in Neo's frame of mind she did. To him, she'd always be an image of perfection.

She was smiling softly, a hand resting on the doorframe as she watched him in slight surprise....at least he thought it was surprise. He wished she wouldn't hide her emotions so well, so he could at least have some indication as to what she was thinking or feeling. Somehow, he knew that what was to follow would be awkward.

"You're awake." She said softly, still smiling. "Good."

Smiling now too, Neo tried to push himself up in the bed, only to gasp in sudden pain. Pulling away the mess of blankets, he came to see that someone had stitched up several of his bullet wounds, leaving the smaller ones open.

"Are you alright?" Trinity asked nervously, taking half a step into the room.

"I will be." He grinned, running fingers across the damaged skin. "What about you?"

She only shrugged in reply, not properly answering the question. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if he meant to ask if she was physically alright or emotionally alright, and she had a different answer to both questions. Besides, she knew he would ask questions afterward if she continued the conversation and she didn't think she was ready to answer them yet. Admitting her feelings for him to herself had been hard enough. Admitting them to Morpheus had been even harder. She'd admitted them to Neo once....but she wasn't sure if she could muster up enough courage to do so again so soon after everything that had happened. There was so much more going on in her mind right now....

"I'm just going to get some stuff to clean you up a bit." She gestured over her shoulder into the corridor that lay beyond, moving backwards out of the room. "If you're hungry, I could bring you some food as well.

"Thanks, that'd be great." He smiled kindly, now realizing just how hungry he was despite his pain.

"Right, well, um..." She mumbled, pausing to clear her throat as she reached the outside corridor. "I'll be back later. Just....stay here, ok?"

_Where else would I go?_ Neo thought to himself as she hurried away. He fell back onto the bed, chuckling to himself as he waited for her return.

(o)

Outside, Trinity was taking quick steps towards the Med Bay despite her exhaustion, muttering to herself as she went.

"That was so uncomfortable. Goddamnit, can't I even go five minutes without making an ass of myself in front of Neo?"

She had to admit, she was surprised that he could recover so quickly. It had only been one night and half a day since she rendered him unconscious and now he seemed perfectly active again. Perhaps his abilities as the One had something to do with it....or perhaps he was just naturally able to heal much faster than anyone else. Whatever the cause, she was secretly a little excited about the prospect of building up a proper relationship. If they could ever find a way to overcome this period of awkwardness....

Arriving in the Med Bay, she deliberately ignored the covered bodies of Mouse, Switch, Apoc, Dozer and Cypher and proceeded to the far bench to retrieve a tray and load it with medical supplies. As she did so, she became aware of a distinct change in her dialogue.

_They're not people anymore. They're not Dozer, Apoc, Mouse and Switch. They're just bodies...that's all...just bodies..._

She left the Med Bay as quickly as possible and made her way to the Mess Hall instead. She found another tray and used it to hold a bowl of food, a spoon and a mug of water. Balancing a tray on each hand, she slowly moved back to Neo, often finding she had to retrace her steps in order to bring both trays bellow deck.

She found Neo lying atop his covers and staring absent mindedly at the ceiling directly above him. He sat up the moment he heard the door open and cringed with pain while doing so, causing her to cringe as well. Bending to lift the tray she had to set on the floor in order to open the door, Trinity made her way into the room and then placed both trays on the floor, kneeling beside his bed.

"What are you going to do?" Neo asked quietly, rolling on his side to face her and eyeing the medical equipment apprehensively as she rummaged through it. He'd always hated hospitals, disease and illness. It made him feel weak and quezzy, even if he had Trinity in the room beside him for comfort.

"Help you." She answered simply, taking the dressing for his wounds in her hands. "Now lie back, and try to relax."

_The last time someone told me to try and relax, they shoved a needle up the back of my head._ Neo frowned at the unpleasant memory, but obeyed her nevertheless. How could he not trust Trinity with his health, even when it came to medication and illness?

Almost at once, Trinity's hands touched his chest, guiding the ointment across his open wounds. He let out a gasp of surprise, having not expected this to happen, though he couldn't deny that he wasn't going to enjoy it. Trinity withdrew her hand immediately, scared she'd done something to offend him. She met his eyes directly, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Y-Your hands are cold." He lied, rubbing the back of his head with his hand out of nervousness.

"Oh." Was all Trinity could think to say. She timidly replaced her hand, dressing the wounds as delicately as she could. She felt her face grow hot, and her hands trembled against his skin. When she'd first collected the dressing from the Med Bay, she didn't even think about it in the way she was thinking about her now. There was something about the whole idea of running her fingers across Neo's fragile and damaged skin that seemed a little sleezy, no matter what the real purpose of doing so was. Although she couldn't deny that the smoothness of his skin was unpleasant....

The dressing was perhaps a little cold, but virtually painless. It was Trinity's touch that bothered him the most. Her hands slid across his bare skin, fluttering around the outside of his wounds. When she finished dressing one bullet wound, she wouldn't lift her hands off his chest but instead simply glided them across his skin softly....soothingly. Before too long, he found himself biting on the insides of his cheeks to stop a moan escaping the back of his throat.

"Trinity?" He managed to grumble in the form of a question. Trinity was taken aback by his tone of voice, yet determined not to show it, scared that her assumptions could be wrong.

"Mmmm?" She replied as she broke from her thoughts, purposely focusing on the task at hand.

"This is kind of awkward, isn't it?" He said with a smile, relieved to see his voice was back to normal.

Trinity allowed a short breath of laughter to pass through her lips, grinning to herself. At least she wasn't the only one who felt this way. Now finished, she set the dressing aside and applied ice to the bruises on his stomach and back in silence, causing the same reaction from both as before. Once this was done, Trinity lifted the food tray and placed it on Neo's lap. He sat up immediately and took the spoon in his hand, suddenly feeling an intense desire to eat the revolting stuff in front of him. Any food was better than no food.

"I'm going to have to dress those wounds until scabs form over the top." Trinity informed him, secretly much to Neo's delight. "The bruises should heal on their own from now on, just so long as you don't bump them. And I'll be able to take the stitches out in a couple of weeks."

"Thanks." Neo set down his spoon and swallowed a mouthful, fixing her with a serious stare. "For everything."

Trinity froze through packing up the tray of medical supplies. This was the first time either had spoken about what happened the previous day- she knew that he meant to thank her for more than just bringing him food and treating his wounds. He meant to thank her for bringing him back to life....perhaps (dare she even think it) for loving him. She longed to talk to him about it...to ask if he'd heard her confession of love, ask what dying felt like....ask him if he loved her and if so, when he fell in love with her. But the words caught in her throat and she simply couldn't make them into sentences. This was not just a matter of pride and reputation, but (as most things were with Neo) a matter of fear. She was afraid of what he might say.

Instead, she packed the tray and set two greenish tablets and an IV pouch aside. Neo pulled a face at the IV pouch, causing Trinity to smile. He set his empty food bowl aside and reluctantly held out a hand to accept the tablets.

"It will help, Neo." She reasoned. "Just deal with it."

She watched him swallow the pills before taking the empty IV pouch off the wall and replacing it with the full one. Neo held out his arm and she squeezed it tightly, tenderly prodding the needle into one of the plugs in his lower arm. Taking both trays in her arms, she crossed back to the open door.

"Where are you going?" Asked Neo urgently, making her pause.

"First to check on Tank." She answered, not bothering to turn around but not moving either. "Then back to work."

"Back to work?" He asked in confusion.

"I have to help Morpheus repair the ship. If a sentinel should attack, we'd be defenseless. Once the ship is in a good enough condition to fly, we'll go back to Zion for full repairs." Trinity explained.

"How long have you been working?"

"All day." Trinity replied, suddenly overcome with exhaustion at the thought. Frankly, she would have much rather been on her way to bed than back to work. "It's about midday, Matrix time."

"Really? How long have I been out?"

"All day." Trinity repeated. "And all last night. Now I better go, try and get some rest."

_You're the one who really needs it by the sound of things._ Neo thought to himself as Trinity left him be, shutting the door behind her as she went. _Besides, I think I'm all rested out._

But even so, only minutes after Trinity had departed, the tablets worked their magic and Neo found himself welcoming sleep.

(o)

Trinity found Tank sitting up in bed with his arms folded behind his head, whistling to himself. Her face changed to an immediate scowl at the sight of him.

_If he's good enough to sit up in bed and sing to himself, then he should be able to help out on the ship._ Although when she did consider this later, perhaps she realized that she was being slightly irrational. Tank had lost just as much as her, and the injury he had obtained wasn't a pretty sight. He may have been up-keeping a bright face, but perhaps it was merely a mask he made to keep others around him in high spirits and maintain his reputation for being cheerful even in a crisis. Much similar to the mask of stone Trinity relied on so often to keep her emotions at bay.

"Oh hey, Trinity." Tank said with a sheepish grin when he noticed her presence in the room. "You know, I just realized what a neat freak my brother was. I mean, look at this place! Not a piece of dust out of place. What am I doing in Dozer's room anyway?"

"How long have you been up?" Trinity said coldly, folding her arms across her chest.

"About two hours." Tank shrugged innocently. Somehow, Trinity thought he was lying. His condition wasn't as good as he made it out to be and he most likely wouldn't be fit to work. But it was just like Tank to try and keep her feeling in a good mood. However, she pretended not to notice this and continued to play the part of the cold and emotionless ranking officer to perfection.

"You mean to tell me you've been up for two hours and you haven't even bothered to get out of bed?" She said bitterly.

"I'm injured!" Tank protested, thrashing around in bed and mimicking someone in pain. "Oh pain! Urgh...I'm in agony."

"Oh God." Trinity shook her head, moving into the room and smiling. Tank's playfulness was infective, and his attempt to put her in a good mood was working.

"What's all that stuff?" Tank asked, nodding to the trays Trinity had left at the door.

"I was just visiting Neo." Trinity stared intently at her shoes, taking the cuffs of her sleeves in her hands. "I-I was treating his wounds and bringing him food. Now I've come to do the same for you."

"Our own personal little matron." Tank joked. "All you'd need is a frilly white dress and a hair net. Add a bit of makeup and you'd fit the part to perfection."

Trinity tried to frown, but ended up laughing. "Anything I can get you then?"

"No," Tank shook his head. "If I had wanted something, I would have gotten up."

"Obviously you're not in too much pain." Trinity frowned, although she was sure he was lying. "Even so, I'll give you something to ease the pain. Give me that empty IV pouch and I'll be back with some water."

Moments later, she returned to Tank's room with two tablets and a mug of water. Tank accepted it gratefully and had drained his water in an instant.

"I should go." Trinity said as she took his empty mug. "I have to help Morpheus repair the ship."

"And leave me all alone?" Tank pouted.

"If you're feeling lonely then you can either get up and help us or pay a visit to Neo. He's sleeping now, but when he comes to he'll be wanting some company. He's staying in Apoc and Switch's old room."

"Why?" Tank asked. "And how come he gets the double bed?"

"Because it was the closest room to the ladder." Trinity continued. "In case you didn't know, Morpheus and I had to carry you and Neo down the ladder after stitching up your wounds."

"Really?" He said cheerily. "Well if you find a spare moment later on today, I'd appreciate it if you could tell me what the fuck else happened yesterday."

"Ask Neo." Trinity smirked. "He'll give you your answers."

(o)

"Knock, knock!" Shouted a voice from the corridor accompanying a fierce wrapping on the door.

"Yeah?" Neo muttered groggily, struggling to sit up. The door swung open and Tank filled the doorframe, beaming brightly and clutching a blanket around his shoulders. Feeling slightly annoyed at being woken from a peaceful sleep, Neo shifted into a sitting position and coaxed his head to the side in confusion.

"Sorry if I woke you up." Tank apologized. "But I thought I'd pay you a visit. Sitting around in bed all day isn't a great way to pass the time when you have to do it alone. I can agree to that."

Tank crossed the room and sat, cross-legged on the floor, staring up at Neo in anticipation like an eager student looks to his teacher. Neo shifted uncomfortably, wondering where this would lead.

"I'm still kind of confused about the other day." Tank admitted. "I heard Cypher's half of the conversation with Trinity during his betrayal, and I watched everything on the Matrix screens. It was really weird. First you were dead, then you were alive. Next thing I knew you and Trinity were kissing."

"Yeah, I suppose that's confusing." Neo felt his cheeks redden as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I was hoping you could fill in the blanks." Tank continued hopefully.

Before Neo could reply, the door burst open and Morpheus entered the room.

"Trinity told me you were both awake." He said.

"Just in time, sir." Tank grinned. "Neo's going to explain about everything that happened the other day."

"Yes, I was hoping that the three of us could sit down and piece things together." Morpheus smiled. "But only if you're up to it, Neo."

"Sure I am." Neo answered almost immediately.

"Just tell us what you know, Neo." Morpheus ordered. "Everything from the moment I was taken. Maybe the three of us will be able to make sense of it all."

"Well most of our problems started with Cypher." Neo said thoughtfully.

"He made a deal with the Agents behind our backs so he could get back into the Matrix. He killed Switch, Apoc and....Dozer." Tank sighed, his eyes clouding with sadness only to suddenly infuriate with anger. "But before he could kill Trinity and Neo, I fired at him. I made sure that bastard burned."

"The Oracle told me that I would have to chose between my life and yours, Morpheus. That you would sacrifice yourself to save me and I could either chose to save you or not." Neo continued. "So Trinity and I jacked into the Matrix again to save you. The rest you all know."

"What happened during your fight with Smith?" Morpheus asked. "Your monitors said that you'd died. But how can that be if you're alive and well today?"

"I did die." Said Neo, feeling his cheeks redden. "But then I came back to life."

"That's impossible! How?" Questioned Tank.

"Trinity." Neo said simply, his face now burning red. "S-She told me that the Oracle-"

"She told you what the Oracle said!?" Tank exclaimed in disbelief.

"How do you know about that?" Morpheus asked sternly, giving Tank a serious look.

"She told Switch and I once." Tank shrugged, catching the dark look in Neo's eyes. "Hey, don't worry, I didn't tell anyone else. Trinity would have flattened me if I did. I don't think she even meant to tell me. It was just one of those things that....slipped out."

Neo was feeling a little put out. _I didn't know she'd told anyone else about her prophecy..._

"Then what happened, Neo?" Morpheus asked, putting an end to Tank's ramblings.

"She brought me back to life." Neo said, smiling at the pleasant memory. "I knew I had something to fight for....something to live for. I came back to life, realized I was the One and deleted one of the Agents. Trinity unplugged me just before the E.M.P was triggered. I arrived back in the real world and....well, you saw what happened next."

The room filled with a stunned silence. Neo shifted uncomfortably in his bed, his face still tinged with embarrassment, not at all used to having his personal life invaded by two other fully grown men. Morpheus was standing rigidly in the doorframe, unable to believe so many complex and life-changing events could occur in one day.

"They won't believe us." Tank shook his head, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Who won't?" Neo asked naively.

"The Council." Morpheus explained. "A group of people in charge of running Zion and all who live there. When we arrive in an almost completely destroyed ship with only four living crewmembers, they're bound to demand an explanation."

"Oh." Neo mumbled, his face downcast. _So now I have to share my personal life with complete strangers as well?_

"You won't have to speak unless you are addressed." Morpheus comforted, seeing the look on Neo's face. "And if you are, just tell them what you told me."

"Right." Neo replied. _Sure, that'll be easy._

"Get some rest." Morpheus instructed, looking between both crewmembers. "Both of you. The sooner you're able to assist Trinity and I in repairing the ship, the sooner we can get to Zion."

Morpheus left, leaving the door open, to think things over. It was almost as if he'd left the door open thinking Tank would follow him out, yet Tank made no effort to stand, fixing Neo with a penetrating stare.

"Is something wrong?" Neo asked quietly, watching Tank with concern.

Tank-who had been, in fact, staring absent mindedly into space-shook himself back into reality again. "Just thinking. You know, it's hard to believe that so much can change in one day. I mean, this time two days ago, things were different. A lot different. It's funny when you think about it....that your whole life could change in the blink of an eye."

_Tell me about it._ Neo mentally noted, thinking of his own unplugging. Yet he knew this wasn't the sort of thing Tank was talking about. He was talking about Dozer.

"I'm sorry, Tank." Neo uttered in deepest sympathy, his head bowed in sadness. Although he had never lost anyone so close to him, he could just imagine the unbelievable sensation of grief he would feel if he lost Trinity. At the same time, he had to marvel at Tank's ability to be as positive and fun-loving as ever. For someone who had just lost an older brother, he was doing a damn good job at keeping his emotions under control.

"Don't be." Tank said with a shake of his head. "I'm no stranger to grief. My mother died just after my little sister was born. Then my dad went into a state of depression, and died two years later. We were raised as orphans with the other unplugged children."

"God, that's awful." Neo sighed. "I honestly don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything." Tank put on a brave smile. There was a long and silent pause, before Tank's smile transformed into an evil grin as she changed the subject. "So what's happenin' with you and Trinity?"

"Nothing." Neo answered truthfully, subconsciously noticing his pulse quicken. It was the second time in an hour that he had to publicly speak about his relationship with Trinity and he was growing increasingly uncomfortable with it.

_I'm not even sure what to call our relationship, anyway. What do you call a relationship that involves a confession of love, one kiss, and several following awkward moments?_

"Just give her time." Tank reasoned. "Remember, she's lost a whole lot of important people too. She'll need to recover from that first."

"You know, what I can't understand." Neo pondered, speaking more to himself than to Tank. "Is how she could have known I was back in the real world when she unplugged me. I mean, my eyes were still shut and she wasn't standing anywhere near the Matrix code, so how could she have known?"

"Because she's connected to you deeply." Tank answered mockfully, using hand gestures to stress his point and causing Neo to laugh. "Gee, I don't know. I think you're asking the wrong person. Why don't you ask her? You know....talk it over."

"So I take it you're an expert on this sort of thing?" Neo said sarcastically, however Tank took the question seriously.

"Who do you think helped Switch and Apoc get together?" Tank replied. "Or hooked my little sister up with her current husband? Trust me, Neo, I've been dealing with this sort of thing ever since Dozer got married."

"Dozer's married?"

"_Was_ married." Tank corrected. "With two kids. A son and a daughter."

Neo sat in silence, unsure of what to say. Just thinking about Dozer's widow and their two children made his heart clench in his chest. It looked as if life just became harder for three more people....and the saddest thing was that this sort of thing happened to people everyday, in both the real world and the Matrix. Again, the image of a dying Trinity flashed into his mind, filling his entire being with sorrow and depression. He could now see why Tank's father died of depression after the death of his wife.

"I'm gonna get some rest." Said Tank, getting to his feet and moving towards the door as he spoke. "I suggest you do the same. And remember what I said about Trinity."

"Yeah." Neo replied with a smile. "See you, Tank."

Talk to Trinity about love? His stomach bubbled at the very idea. But he knew this was something he couldn't avoid. _Sooner or later, we're going to have to talk about it..._

"What are you so worried about, anyway?" He asked himself angrily. "You love her and she loves you. You could talk to her before, so you should be able to talk to her now....right?"

Sighing heavily, he lay back down in his bed and awaited sleep that wouldn't come.

(o)

Trinity couldn't remember a time where she'd felt more exhausted in her life as she made her way to Neo's room with a tray of food. After working on repairing the ship all day (and gaining several light bruises and a headache in doing so), she felt she deserved a decent night's sleep. However, she knew she couldn't until she knew that Neo was in good health. So she decided to make tending to him her first priority.

She reached his door and pulled it open with a gentle creak. Hearing the sound, Neo sat up instantly in his bed as if he'd been expecting her and had been lying awake in waiting. Trinity couldn't help notice how good he looked in his bedraggled and groggy state, his eyes bleary with sleep, and how well he smelt even after three showerless days. But what she noticed the most was how much she loved him, and how she'd love to be able to tell him so again, again and again. But doing so had proven to be her greatest fear. Pushing these thoughts and feelings to the back of her mind, she stepped into his room and shut the door behind her, crossing the floor to reach the bed.

"How are you feeling?" She questioned, keeping her tone level and calm as she handed him the tray.

"Better." Neo admitted, running a hand across a scab forming on his bare chest. "Some of the bullet wounds are starting to heal over. And the bruises only hurt if I bump them."

"Good." Trinity replied with a smile. My God, he can heal faster than anyone I've ever known!

_She's so beautiful when she smiles._ Neo thought to himself. Although she was clearly dirty, work-worn and exhausted, he still considered Trinity to be the most gorgeous thing he'd ever seen in both the Matrix and the real world.

He'd been spending some time lying awake in his room after Tank left thinking of how he could talk to her. But now that he saw her in person, he found that he'd completely lost his nerve. He took his spoon in his hand silently and began to eat, watching as Trinity moved back against the opposite wall, folding her arms across her stomach and watching him silently. As he ate, Neo gradually summed up enough courage to confront her so that by the time he'd finished eating, he was ready to speak.

"Trinity," Neo began, rubbing the back of his head with his head. Trinity had come to know this as the way he expressed nervousness. "I thought maybe we should, you know....talk things over."

Trinity's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected him to want to as she had gathered that he was a timid person by nature, and therefore would find it hard to talk about their relationship so openly. But they couldn't continue to live in this awkwardness forever; either too shy, too proud or both to even mention the word love to the other. She knew the moment she kissed him that she would need to adapt to things, learn to be less of a warrior and more of a woman. She also knew just how hard it was going to be, after so many years of leading a loveless life.

Trinity's silence only made Neo's desire to talk with her stronger, but he wouldn't do it without her consent. Finding the strength to look her directly in the eye, he could see emotions of fear and uncomfort masked by the ice blue prison and realized, much to his delight, that she felt just the same way he did about the whole affair.

"I know, it's really uncomfortable, huh?" Neo said with a kind smile, causing Trinity to relax and smile tightly too. "But I kind of feel like....we have to."

Trinity nodded, glad to see he agreed with her. _He's right. Sooner of later, someone would have had to bring it up. I'm just relieved that it was him and not me who had to._

Crossing the room, she timidly perched on the edge of the double bed, her body quivering with fear. "Where do you want to start?"

Neo rolled onto his side to face her, propping his elbow up on the bed and using his hand to support his head. "I don't know." He said with a shrug. "Why don't we just....go over everything first?"

"All right." Trinity said, her voice untouched by emotion.

"I died." Neo stated simply, yet seriously, fixing her with a hard stare.

"Yes." Trinity agreed, turning her head to look over her shoulder and watch him, still with her arms folded across her stomach.

"But you brought me back." Neo continued. "As the One."

"Yes." Trinity repeated herself. She felt as if he wanted her to say something else, but all she could think of doing was agreeing with him.

"You told me." He began, but had to pause before he continued, lowering his voice to a whisper. "....you told me....you told me that the Oracle told you you'd fall in love with the One, and that you were in love with me."

Trinity felt her cheeks burn at the memory. She closed her eyes, turning away from him to tilt her head downwards. She could feel Neo's eyes on her neck, see an image of him clearly in her mind. She could see him blushing, but also eagerly awaiting a reply. The reply she so yearned to give him.

_Say it, say it, say it._ She willed herself, but the word choked in her throat and stuck there. She struggled to bring the word to her lips, but it just wouldn't come.

"Trinity, please say something." Neo begged her. There was only silence in reply, and Trinity remained as still as a statue.

"Yes." She finally managed to choke out. She let her eyes open, but wouldn't look at him, pretending to find her lap much more interesting.

"D-Do you still feel the same way?" He stuttered embarrassedly.

"Yes." She whispered, finding that she was able to reply much quicker than before, but still not instantly. _Of course I fell the same way! It isn't as if you can fall out of love with someone. Especially not when Neo is involved._

"Well, I honestly don't know what to say now." Neo said truthfully, rubbing the back of his head again.

"Then why don't you answer me this?" She began, speaking much fiercer than before- just as harshly as she had addressed him when he told her she couldn't jack into the Matrix with him to save Morpheus. She turned to face him, but immediately realized it was a mistake. The sight of him lying there amongst the tangled blankets with his bare chest exposed, his dark eyes shining brilliantly, almost caused her to forget what she meant to say. "Do you love me? Or were you just kissing me because I was kissing you back?"

_She's still unsure if I love her or not? It must have been hard for her to admit it to me, then. The least I can do is do the same for her._

"I love you, Trinity." He said as shyly as a love-struck schoolboy. He didn't think she'd believe him, but perhaps the tone in his voice mixed with the love in his eyes was enough to convince her because a smile crept onto her face.

"Why?" She asked, her eyes wide as she shook her head. She didn't dare to believe it was real, even now when she'd kissed him, and heard him say it with his own lips It was the one thing she'd never be able to understand. "I-I'm not beautiful or talented or-"

"Hello? Wake up call!" Neo exclaimed, forgetting who he talked to at the incredibly absurd remark. "You can shoot cops, beat up almost anyone within an inch of their life, pilot a helicopter, motorbike and a hovercraft single handedly, run along the walls, hack into top secret computer systems, wield a sword, repair any electrical equipment, defy the laws of the Matrix, hide all your emotions and manage to look sexy at the same time. Have I left anything out?"

Trinity was silent, privately glowing with pride. _I've really done all that? I guess I've never stopped to think about my accomplishments like that until now...always just saw it as part of the job...and he thinks I look sexy? Heh, yeah right. Although I must admit, it is flattering when Neo says it._

But her silence was only making Neo feel ashamed. _Maybe I got a little too carried away. Maybe she didn't want me prying into her emotions and lifestyle like that. Damn, I should have known when it was time to back off._

"I can also perform a levitating kick no one else seems to be able to do." Trinity said with a downward grin, staring at her hands which were now folded in her lap.

"There you go." Neo answered, grinning too. "If that's not talent, then I don't know what is. And as for not being beautiful, well that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." He began to loose his confidence as he added sheepishly. "Actually, when I first woke up in the real world and saw you standing over me, I thought you were an angel."

"Really?" She said, almost playfully, raising a single eyebrow and looking at him in interest.

"A dark angel to be more exact." He continued, feeling as if he'd explode with embarrassment at emitting his private thoughts.

"I used to watch you sleep." Trinity admitted, despite her own embarrassment. _He told me something private. It's only fair I do the same._

"But your beauty and you talents aren't the reasons why I love you." Neo continued, smiling at the corniness and VERY un-Trinity like statement she'd just made coupled with the one he was about to add. "I love you because you're Trinity."

"Neo..." She whispered, feeling her eyes fill with tears. No one had ever treated her this way before...no one had ever been able to make her feel so good about herself....make her proud to be who she was. He almost made her feel beautiful and talented....like she was someone special and important. But he didn't just love her because of this. He loved her because she was herself.

"Trinity," He whispered, turning away from her because he knew that if he looked at her, he wouldn't be able to say what he truly wanted to tell her. "Remember when we first met? In that club....when you were wearing that dress?"

Trinity let out a breath of laughter, smiling to herself as she watched him, eager to hear what else he had to say. "I-I was trying to leave an impression...."

"It worked. You looked amazing...but you looked even more beautiful in the real world. That's why I thought you were an angel when I first woke up and saw you. I don't know....I guess I just couldn't help being amazed by the very idea that someone like you could exist."

"Is that when you first fell in love with me?" She asked quietly.

Neo turned to face her, regret shining in his eyes. "Sorry to tell you, but it wasn't love at first sight. I didn't realize I loved you until....until yesterday, when we were standing on top of that government rooftop after I saved you from that helicopter crash. Before that, I guess I was just attracted to you....it was then that I realized that I was in love with you." He paused to watch her and savor the expression on her face and make his words sink in before he continued with a question. "What about you? When did you first fall in love with me?"

"Now that's a hard question..." Trinity began, thinking carefully as she watched him. "I was always attracted to you....always hoped you'd be the One. B-but I was afraid that you wouldn't be the One, and then I couldn't love you. Or that I would love you for your title, and not because you were you. I-I guess I realized that I loved you...admitted it to myself when I was having that phone conversation with Cypher." Neo didn't fail to notice the way her hands clenched into fists at the name. "Neo, I-I was so afraid you would die. Then Cypher asked me if I believed you were the One. I took one look at you and knew my answer."

Neo frowned, coaxing his head to the side. He knew how hard it must have been for her to deal with all these different emotions and feelings. It felt strange to pity someone like Trinity....who seemingly had everything anyone could want. "It must have been hell for you. I-I'm sorry."

"You couldn't have known." She replied, smiling kindly. _Me? Smiling kindly?_ "God, this is going to take some getting used to." She muttered more to herself than to him. "I'm sorry....I-I've never been with anyone before."

"Really?" He asked in disbelief. Surely, someone like Trinity would have had to have had her share of relationships in the past. "Not even in the Matrix?"

She could literally feel the amazement and disbelief radiating off his voice. "No. Never. There's been a few who've wanted to be with me, but those who admit it end up without the use of their genitals." She paused while he laughed. "What about you?"

"Well, people don't often want to go out with computer nerds like me. But I did have a girlfriend. Just once." Neo admitted. He saw her eyes cloud with darkness and hurriedly added. "I was five, and she was seven- the most beautiful girl in primary school. But nothing like you, of course." He paused while Trinity laughed. "All the guys wanted her...on the first day of kindergarten, we all had a huge fight over her. And would you believe that the computer nerd actually one? Ok, I got bruised up pretty bad, but it was worth it. Then I got chicken pocks and was off school for two weeks. When I came back, she was going out with I guy in grade three and you know...I couldn't compete with that so-"

"Just shut up." She whispered, cutting him off. She found her body moving automatically and did not try to stop it, knowing he wouldn't object as she moved a hand behind his head. Indeed, Neo only put his hand behind her head in return, pulling her closer until she locked lips with his own.

Their lips slid together in a kiss that was soft and timid at first, each unsure of the other's intentions. But as they gradually became more accustomed to the feel of each other's lips, the intensity increased and the kiss was laced with passion, and they pulled away only for a few seconds at a time to take in much needed air.

As it was when a program was loaded into her mind, Trinity found she knew what to do by instinct, and her body moved without her head telling it to. His lips felt wet....so soft....so right....she never wanted to stop kissing him ever again. In between kissing him, she let her tongue slip from behind her mouth and trace his bottom lip. As she did this, Neo's arm (the one stabilizing his head) collapsed and he fell back onto the pillows, pulling her with him.

Trinity smiled against his lips, moving so she had one leg on either side of him. She broke away to remove the hand she still had behind his head, which was making things rather uncomfortable for both. She bent to kiss him again, feeling his hand move from the back of her head, down her back and to her waist, settling on her hip.

In truth, Neo had never kissed anyone like this before. Part of him was still in shock, but the other part was enjoying it and never wanted it to end. It was on a rare occasion that Trinity would forget where she was, or what she was meant to be doing and throw her rational mind out the window. He wanted to make the best of the situation, and let his body take control and his mind sit back and watch.

Suddenly, the door was pulled open without warning with a loud sound of squeaking metal. With a gasp of surprise Neo felt more than heard, Trinity rolled off him, allowing him to sit up.

Both met eyes with a very surprised- but also very amused -Tank, watching them from the doorframe. Trinity scowled more to herself than the newcomer as she scrambled off the bed.

_God, how could I let that happen? I completely forgot where I was, who could of found us, what I was supposed to be doing and everything else! I wish Neo didn't have that effect on me...to cause me to think so irrationally so easily._

"So this is what you call talking it over?" Tank asked Neo sarcastically with a sly grin. "What did I tell you, Neo? I'm great with this love stuff! This morning you were too scared to even talk to her, and just look at the two of you now!"

He burst into a fit of laughter, and Trinity clenched her hands into fists, swelling with anger.

"Piss off, Tank." She commanded, and Tank obeyed, skipping off down the corridor and laughing himself stupid.

Once he was gone, Trinity was a mixture of emotion. Angry at Tank and at herself because she allowed him to burst in on them, frustrated because she had been 'interrupted', embarrassed because of what had just happened, and ashamed with herself for putting Neo in such an awkward situation.

"Awkward moment, awkward moment, awkward moment." Neo muttered with a smile, causing Trinity to laugh.

"I should go." She sighed. "I'm pretty tired."

"I'll help you and Morpheus repair the ship tomorrow." Neo stated firmly, then added slyly. "If I'm good enough for that kind of thing, then I'm good enough to work."

"No, you still need to rest." Trinity reasoned. Neo only grumbled, realizing that starting an argument with Trinity was pointless. Seeing this act of frustration, she knelt beside the bed and tenderly pecked him on the cheek sympathetically. He perked up almost instantly.

"Just a few more days." She compromised. She knew what it felt like to be useless, but she also knew what it felt like to think you can do something and then collapse with exhaustion just when you realize you can't. "I'll bring you some more food tomorrow, and the dressing for the bullet wounds. See you then."

Standing and not bothering to collect the food tray to take back to the Mess Hall (figuring she could do so the following morning), Trinity returned to her own room and the coldness that always accompanied a lonely sleep.

Neo turned off the lights to his room, feeling depressed and frustrated at being 'interrupted' by Tank, and the promise of spending another day lying around and feeling useless. But as he finally began to relax, he had to let a smile creep onto his face.

_Tank was right. Talking things over sure does help..._

(o)

Thanks for reading, please review!


	15. Repairing

A/N: Wow! What a great response to the last chapter! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed!!! I'm in a bad mood because I'm getting braces put on tomorrow and the spaces really hurt, but reading all your reviews really brightened up my day. Thanks again!!!

To anyone Australian reading this: I have nothing against Australians because I happen to be one myself. I just used a 'Crocodile Hunter' type charecter to describe Neo's father. Also, I'd like to note to Americans reading this that not all Australians are like Neo's father. In fact, most people aren't like that at all. I just thought I should mention that.

Yet another chapter I dedicate to Monique.

15

_Me? Beautiful? God, Neo, don't make me laugh..._

Trinity sat alone in the cockpit, repairing the engine as she thought over her conversation with Neo the previous day that had led to _more _than just a friendly chat- not that it had been comfortable to start with. She still felt horribly embarrassed whenever she ran into Tank (which thankfully didn't happen much since Morpheus had sent Tank to work in the core now that he was feeling up to it- which meant they were a considerable distance apart and the chances of running into him were slim), highly ashamed with herself when she stopped working to check up on Neo, and angry with herself all the time for letting it happen.

_I need to apologize to him. I was the one who started it after all. He probably wasn't ready for it and now I've only damaged the weak relationship we had._

She rubbed her dirty hands on her shirt, squirming out from underneath the engine to retrieve a wrench before sliding back underneath it again. The wrench reminded her of the time Cypher had thrown one at Neo when they were fixing the boiler. Trinity had automatically taken to his side to escort him to the Med Bay. She smirked to herself as she remembered the look on Cypher's face when she'd taken Neo's arm and led him out of the room, but quickly brushed these pleasant memories aside in order to concentrate on the best way to apologize to Neo.

"Gee Neo, I'm so sorry I jumped on top of you yesterday and started to hump you like a wild animal." She said aloud sarcastically. "God, what's that going to sound like?"

Little did she know, but she wouldn't have to wait long to put her apology into use.

(o)

Neo groaned, rolling over in an attempt to find a more comfortable sleeping position. Unfortunately after spending three days in the one place, it was impossible to find a comfortable sleeping position. Not only was it (as it always had been) dirty and lumpy, but now the bed was a mess of tangled blankets and seemingly more uncomfortable than before.

_This is why I hated being sick in the Matrix. _Neo thought bitterly to himself. _I feel so useless- like my very existence is meaningless. If I don't get up and do something soon, I think I'll explode with boredom. _

He took his time getting to his feet to prevent pain. He gasped a little when his bare feet came in contact with the steel floor (After spending so much time in bed, he hadn't been expecting such a dramatic temperature change now he was unprotected from the warmth of his blankets and the boiler was out of operation). He found that someone had placed his boots neatly in the corner of the room. Taking both in hand along with an over-shirt and under-shirt that had once belonged to Apoc, he left his room in a hurry in the hopes of finding Morpheus and some work.

He had to admit, he was still in pain. But nearly all the open bullet wounds had healed over and the bruises on his stomach and back had subsided somewhat. Perhaps he wasn't as rested as he should be, but he definitely felt capable of doing something other than lying around in bed.

He made his way past the core only to overhear Tank whistling and scowled to himself. _Tank was just as badly injured as I was. How come he can be up and working and I can't?_

He ascended the ladder to the cockpit, choosing to check for Morpheus there first before thoroughly scanning the rest of the main deck. As he climbed, he overheard a faint scrambling from above him, accompanied by the sound of something electrical breaking, and a woman cursing. He began to move slower, stifling the sounds of his boots and his hands as he climbed. Arriving in the cockpit, he saw the lower half of Trinity's body sticking out from underneath a control panel which contained an engine.

Smiling to himself, he crawled across the floor of the cockpit and slid up under the engine beside her. Trinity didn't notice he was there until she felt something move next to her and turned only to see a pair of chestnut brown eyes staring back.

"Neo!" She cried in alarm, lifting her head in shock and banging it into the engine with a deafening pang. Pain seeped into her skull and her head began to throb madly until she could no longer hold in a cry of both agony and frustration. "Fuck!"

"Are you alright?" Neo asked through a laugh, although there was concern dancing in his eyes.

"I'm fine." Trinity lied, rubbing her aching head. "Neo, what are you doing up?"

Neo shrugged. "I hate lying around and feeling useless when everyone else is working, so I got up and came to find something to do."

"I know the feeling." Trinity replied with a sympathetic sigh, but then completely changed her tone of voice. "But Neo, y-you need to rest."

"I think I'm all rested out." Neo reasoned. "Besides, if Tank's allowed to be up and working, then why can't I?"

"Tank's different." She argued. "He only sustained one wound. A deep wound, no doubt, but only one. He's in a good enough condition to be doing light work like getting the core network back online. You, on the other hand, have sustained multiple wounds and therefore need to rest."

"I'm fine, Trinity." Neo practically begged. Some small part of him knew that what she was had something to do with the fact that she cared for him so much that she refused to let him work, even if he may be up to it because she loved him and didn't want him to be in any sort of pain. "Trust me. At least let me help you for a while, and if I start feeling sick, I'll let you know."

"Fine." Trinity said with a hint of irritable uncertainty. _I didn't think it was possible for anyone to be as stubborn as I am._

Neo grinned happily to himself, glad to be out of bed and doing something worthwhile and also at spending the whole day in Trinity's company. "So what do you want me to do?"

Trinity sighed, gesturing to the metal sheet above his head. "Pull that down and you'll see some wires that need rewiring. I was going to start on that once I've finished with the engine."

_Maybe having Neo up isn't such a bad thing. He doesn't seem to be feeling too bad, and we really do need all the help we can get. With him helping us, we might be able to get things done much faster._

Neo did as he was told by removing the panel and then tossing it aside. Of course it was impossible for him to know which wires went where, so he relied on Trinity's instructions to complete the task.

"Green wire in blue socket, Neo. Not the other way around." Trinity corrected as she worked.

"Sorry." Neo said with a smile, removing the wires he'd only just put into the wrong place. "I was never really all that great when it came to technology."

"And yet you're an infamous computer hacker." Trinity remarked.

"I could use a computer. But if it broke down, I was stuck." Neo answered. "When it comes to repairing anything technical, I have no idea what I'm doing."

There was a pause in which neither knew what to say, although both wanted to continue the conversation. Things still felt awkward, especially for Trinity who still felt the need to apologize. Finally, she mustered up enough courage to speak.

"Neo, I want to apologize." Trinity began awkwardly, feeling her cheeks redden as she worked. "About yesterday, I mean. I-I didn't mean to-"

"To show me the meaning of the word pleasure?" Neo finished without pausing to think. Now it was his turn to blush. "Oops, thinking out loud."

Trinity couldn't deny that she wasn't flattered by Neo's comment, nor could she deny herself a smile. _Maybe I'm not the only one who talks themselves..._

(o)

Morpheus made his way up the ladder and into the cockpit with the intentions of finding his second-in-command. Trinity had been working for a good six hours straight without even pausing to check on Neo as she'd done so frequently in the past two days. This meant that she was either working overtime, or something was terribly wrong. Either way, he had good reason to check on her and make sure she was ok.

As he neared the top of the ladder, he heard the sounds of laughter echoing down from above him. Grasping the final rudder, he pulled himself up only to see two pairs of legs sticking out from underneath the panel that contained the cockpit's main engine. Their owners were deep in conversation, their voices rebounding off the metal walls that surrounded them.

"No kidding." Neo's voice stated seriously. "I don't see what's so funny."

"You playing a guitar is what's funny." Trinity replied with a laugh. "Sorry. I just can't picture it."

"It's true." He retorted. "I was lead guitarist in a band when I was in high school. Look, if you don't believe me, then I'll have to play for you sometime."

"I believe you, Neo." Trinity replied. "I just find it hard to imagine."

"A lot's changed since then." Neo paused. "A lot. I don't know...I guess after I left school I fell out with friends and stopped playing. I wanted to move out of home the instant I left school and live as far away from my family as possible. I went to a new city where I didn't know anyone. I became isolated...alone. My only companions were my customers and my work colleges. The only thing that kept me going....that made me want to keep living was my life within computers."

"You don't have to worry about that life anymore." Trinity said quietly. "That was Thomas Anderson's life. Not Neo's."

"You're right."

There was another pause, in which Morpheus listened intently, unable to believe his ears. In eleven years of knowing Trinity, he'd never known her to speak so openly to anyone before.

"Hey, what was your Matrix name?" Neo asked randomly.

_She won't tell him. _Morpheus thought. _She's never told anyone that before. The only living person who knows that now in the real world is myself...although I must give Neo credit for even trying to find this out._

"You'll laugh." Trinity answered solemnly.

"I promise I won't."

Trinity took in a shallow breath, as if preparing herself for the worst. "Stephanie. My Matrix name was Stephanie Day."

"Better than Thomas Anderson." Neo said, causing Trinity to laugh.

Morpheus decided to take this as his cue to leave. He still couldn't believe Trinity would tell Neo her Matrix name, but perhaps now that things were different, he was going to see plenty more changes in her- possibly for the better.

Smiling to himself, he climbed back down the ladder, deciding to let the pair work a little longer before he demand they take a break.

(o)

It was almost impossible to get into a routine on board the Nebuchadnezzar. Yet soon Trinity found that she'd unwilling managed to form just that. She'd first wake up and meet the other crew members in the Mess Hall. Then she and Neo would spend the entire day at work in the cockpit, repairing engines and rewiring systems in order to get everything back online and working so they could travel to Zion before they froze to death without the boiler. They only stopped every few hours to take a short break to regain their strength before they resumed the task again. Because the boiler had been damaged when the E.M.P was triggered, it was impossible to take a shower and the food and water were running considerably low. So she would often go to bed dirty, hungry and exhausted only to have to wake up early the following morning and do it all again.

Her only consolation to this daunting way of life was her days spent with Neo. Perhaps she'd memorized his routine in the Matrix when he was still part of the system. Perhaps she'd fallen in love with him and even kissed him. But the more they talked, the more she realized how little she knew about him and only desired to learn more.

She didn't know when the uncomfortable silences first became replaced with frequent conversations. It must have happened gradually over the few weeks they worked together in the cockpit....the result of one blurting out their thoughts aloud and the other overhearing, coming up with a related reply. All she knew is that (as she had discovered on Neo's first conscious night aboard the Neb) he made the best company she'd ever had. It was as if he somehow knew what was happening inside her head. He knew when it was time to talk and when it was time to listen....when it was time to joke and time to be serious. But best of all was that he didn't ever try to seduce her, or bring up their relationship, leaving it at a neutral friendship that just so happened to contain love shared for the other.

She was amazed to find that she could love someone and hardly know them. And now she found that the more she knew about Neo, the more she grew to love him (if it were possible to love him even more than she already did). In fact, if it weren't for her time spent with Neo, she'd most likely fail to see any reason why she could continue living.

Neo loved talking to Trinity even more than she loved talking to him. She actually seemed to find the dull events of his life interesting and listened to what he had to say, speaking when appropriate. And what was really great about it was that by listening to her, he was able to find out more about the woman he loved, knowing that he was the only one who would ever learn this much about someone so private and closed in. It made him feel good to know that _he_ was the one she was trusting her personal life with.

Before too long, Trinity trusted Neo enough to tell him about her Matrix family.

"My parents had a strange taste in names." Trinity explained when he questioned the origin of her Matrix name. "Because our last name was so basic it became a strange sort of tradition to give everyone in our family an interesting name. There were five people in my family other than myself: my parents, Col and Felicity, my brother Hope, and my two sisters Charity and Faith."

"Still don't think those names are as bad as Thomas Anderson." Neo commented with a cheesy grin.

"They weren't bad names." Trinity defended. "Just unusual. But I suppose they were suitable names for such an unusual family."

"What happened to them?" Neo asked curiously.

"When she was sixteen, Charity committed suicide. I was only seven or eight at the time. I honestly can't remember how old I was exactly." Trinity shook her head sadly at the memory. It had been a good few years since she had to recall the death of her older sister.

"God, Trinity, I'm sorry." Neo said with a sigh. He was getting a little tired of feeling sorry for other people by now.

"We were pretty close." Trinity continued, talking more to herself than to him. "It was quite a shock to me when she died. But not as much of a shock as it was when my parents divorced when I was eleven. Everything went wrong after Col moved away from us. Felicity couldn't keep providing us with money. Hope, my older brother, ran away from home. I found him later living on the other side of the country by means of the Matrix code with a wife and three children of his own. But he never told Felicity where he went, or if he was ok. For all she knew, he could be dead. It was very hard on her, and she started to do things....strange things. After I left, Faith was sent to live with Col, and Felicity was taken away to get the help she needed. But by that time, Morpheus had already gotten me out of the system."

"Wow, that's quite a life." Neo commented, slightly taken aback. He wondered if the emotionally challenging stages of her childhood had been the cause for Trinity's solitary and cold way of living when she became an adult. "How old were you when you were unplugged?"

"I think I was about fifteen." Trinity said thoughtfully. "I know it's been eleven years, so that should be about right."

"Were you as much of a bad-ass then as you are now?" Neo questioned playfully.

"I wouldn't say I was as much." Trinity smirked. "But I wasn't a good girl either. I never did any school work unless it was to do with technology and spent school days on the computer, which was how I was introduced to the hacking network. Then I started skipping school and spending my days at internet cafes because my family were too poor to afford a computer of their own by that time. I did seem to get into trouble with the law a lot, too. And I didn't have any friends or anyone else to bail me out. But because I was determined, I always managed to find a way out of a bad situation. One of my old teachers used to call me a stubborn mule of a child."

"I could agree to that." Neo said with a laugh. He decided to continue the conversation by changing the topic. "So when did you crack the IRS d-base?"

"When I was thirteen." Trinity said with a shrug.

"Thirteen?" He replied, awestruck. "God, you must've been an even better hacker than I thought you were."

"People often underestimate me. When they see all I've done, male hackers automatically assume I'm a man. When they discover I'm not, they forget about my list of accomplishments and consider me as some dumb broad. Those who do often get their ass kicked." Trinity paused as Neo laughed at the mental image of her putting some poor sucker in their place. Feeling slightly uncomfortable to having said so much, she thought it only fair that he do the same. "So tell me about your family."

"There really isn't all that much to tell." Neo said thoughtfully. "Compared to you life, mine is actually pretty dull."

"Tell me anyway." It wasn't a request. It was an order.

"Well, we weren't really a picture perfect family." Neo said shyly. "I hated my father, John. He was your typical Australian Joe, if you know what I mean. A balding fat ass who only had two purposes in life: to get drunk watching the football and throw barbeques in his backyard every other day."

Trinity snorted with laughter. _It's hard to image someone like that could be Neo's father......the Matrix really fucked that up._

"He used to sit me down and give me this huge lecture." Neo changed his voice to a hoarse and gruff tone in imitation of his father. "_The middle child will never amount to anything in life and is bound to end up a worthless failure living out on the streets._" He joined Trinity in an outburst of laughter.

"You were the middle child?" Trinity asked once she'd recovered.

"I had one older brother and one younger." Neo scowled at the memory of both. "The oldest, James, was their perfect son. He always got perfect marks at school, was involved in every school sport and co-curricular activity and dated about a thousand blonde barbie doll girls in his teenage years. Every time he brought a trophy or an award home, which was about every week, my parents would celebrate by throwing a barbeque. They worshipped him....thought he was great. But what really bothered me was the way he pretended to be this perfect big brother to me so that he would gain more appreciation from others. Good thing he was such a good actor or his plan wouldn't have worked."

"What happened to him?" Trinity asked.

"He went to collage, married young, had two kids, bought them a house just down the road from my parents and got a job as a banker." Neo smirked. "Perfect and boring life for a perfect and boring guy."

"Sounds like your typical plugged-in human." Trinity stated, listening to him with interest as she worked. "What about your other brother?"

"Mark was even worse. He worshipped James, just like everyone else, and wanted to be like him in every way. But he was overweight and not too smart, or good at sports. So he seeked attention from my parents by acting cute and innocent to impress them. It worked, and soon he could get away with anything. He used to make my life hell. He'd wreck my computer, tease me, attack me and whenever I tried to get him back, he'd tell my mother and I'd get the blame."

"What was your mother like?"

"She was like my father, only tall and nosy. She loved to stick her oversized nose into everyone else's business which made her really unpopular. We were living in America before we moved to Sydney, Australia when I was about four. I think the reason we moved was because everyone in America hated her so much and she wanted to leave before things got ugly. He paused while Trinity laughed. "She agreed with my dad. She thought I wouldn't amount to anything and she wasn't afraid to tell me what was on her mind."

"Just shows how much she knows." Trinity said absent mindedly. _I haven't laughed so much in all my life. It's amazing...I've never really had anything to laugh about and now I seem to be laughing all the time._

"I want to go back to see them sometime." Neo said angrily, clenching his hands into fists at the thought of his Matrix family. "To show them they were wrong."

He seemed to speak with such a passion in his voice, as if confronting his family was something he needed to do in order to completely move on. This only made it harder for Trinity to bring him back to the reality of the situation.

"Neo, people who aren't ready to be unplugged can't be told about the Matrix." Trinity reasoned. "Not only would it be dangerous to them, but also to us. They'd think you're a lunatic and alert the proper authorities- better known as the Agents. You can't tell them you're the One."

"I wouldn't have to." Neo answered, smiling shyly and looking away from her. "All I'd have to do is show them you and they'd realize they were wrong when they said I would never achieve anything great."

Trinity felt her face grow hot and said nothing, keeping her eyes on her work. For the past few weeks, she'd regarded Neo as an incredibly close friend who she happened to be deeply in love with. The friendly conversations they'd shared hadn't taken an intimate turn until now.

"I-I think that's the last of it." She stuttered, making a final adjustment to the engine she'd been repairing. "All the engines are now operational. If Morpheus and Tank have managed to sort everything out in the core and repair the fuses bellow the lower deck, then we should have enough power to get ourselves back to Zion."

She scrambled out from underneath the panel she'd been working bellow with Neo, with the intentions of making her way down to the core to tell Morpheus. Because the power was not yet back online, it was pointless to even try using the intercom and therefore communication would have to be reached by foot.

Neo pulled out from underneath the panel well in time to see her reach the top of the ladder. As she walked, his eyes subconsciously traveled down her back to a part of her he hadn't even dared to think about before. Feeling his eyes upon her, Trinity paused and turned to see Neo sprawled out across the floor using one elbow to prop himself up as he stared at her transfixededly, his eyes now roaming over her entire body and taking in each feature. Oddly enough, it didn't make her feel strange or uncomfortable (most likely a result of taking time to get to know him better, and therefore feel more comfortable around him).

"What?" He asked fake-innocently when he noticed she was staring back at him.

"Were you just checking me out?" She said sarcastically, smirking as she raised one eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest.

"And what if I was?" Neo smirked devilishly in reply, his voice tinged with playfulness despite the fear bubbling beneath his skin as he wondered what she'd do next.

It suddenly occurred to her that the last time she'd kissed Neo was in his room a good few weeks ago. Now abandoning all thoughts of leaving the privacy of the cockpit, Trinity crossed the room again as slowly as possible, giving him more time to take in each curve of her body as she moved. She knelt beside him, stretching out a hand to run it across his hair that was no where near as long as it had been before he was unplugged, but it was now just barely long enough for her to run her fingers through....the brown bristles of hair thick and still sticking upright like they'd been struck with jolts of electicity. Eventually, she let her hand come to rest at the back of his head.

"Then you'll get this." She whispered, mirroring his smile with her own moments before their lips connected in a passionate kiss. Smiling against her mouth, Neo wrapped his free arm (the one that wasn't holding him up) around her waist and drew her close to him until their bodies were touching.

Gasping at the close contact, Trinity sprawled out so she lay beside him, not breaking but only increasing the intensity of the kiss. Of course, she was nervous...terrified of doing the wrong thing or of being interrupted. But once again, her rational mind was useless with Neo pressed up so closely beside her that there wasn't a single space of air between them.

Neo's hand automatically moved to her hip, pushing her down and moving so that he was atop her. It was then that he discovered he loved to have her beneath him, wriggling and squirming with pleasure...so weak and helpless bellow him. It was hard for him to believe that this was the same woman he'd come to know her as. He broke their kiss and she struggled to continue it, lifting her head to nip on his lips as he pulled away until she gave up and fell back to the floor.

Using his arms to hold himself above her (one stabilizing himself on either side of her body), he watched her with an expression of interest. Her face was no longer white and cold, but flushed with pink and tinged with the dirt which powdered her cheeks. Her hair was a mess, disheveled and dirty and her clothes were tattered and torn, dripping with perspiration from the day's work. Her eyes were shut softly with pleasure, her lips parted slightly as she breathed thickly to calm her racing heart.

_So tranquil...so helpless, a victim of desire...God, is this really Trinity?_

Trinity opened her eyes slowly to see him staring at her, completely awestruck. His pupils were literally vibrating with love. She could see herself reflected in his eyes, her face dripping with lust as she lay beneath him. Smiling, she lifted a hand to him cheek, stroking it tenderly.

"What are you thinking?" She breathed hoarsely, her eyes now wide with want. Neo smirked, enjoying the effect he had on her as he moved his head against her hand....so soft against his skin.

"That I really should check you out more often if I'm going to get this response every time." Neo panted in reply, his voice laced with desire. Trinity let out a breath of laughter, though Neo's face remained firm. He lifted one supporting arm to take the hand that was tenderly stroking his cheek and guiding it down one side of his neck and let it rest on his shirt, covering it with his own fingers. She clenched the flimsy material, not breaking the eye contact they shared even when he removed his hand from hers and took it to her cheek instead. "God, you're beautiful."

"You keep saying that." She said with a shake of her head. "But it's not true."

"How can you even _think _that?" He said in bewilderment.

"Because of my little sister." Trinity replied. "Faith was the beautiful one in our family. I never cared much about looks, but perhaps I was a little jealous of her. Otherwise I would have been nicer to her when we were growing up together in the Matrix. I used to always put her down and wreck her self esteem...but she was always kind to me anyway, always so sweet. I often watch her in the Matrix to make sure that she's alright. She's nineteen now, and she's even more gorgeous than before."

_Oh God, Trinity, listen to yourself! _She cursed inwardly. _You're talking about your beautiful kid sister at a time like this?_

"She may have been beautiful, but she's not anything compared to you." Neo argued. "I don't even need to see her to know that."

_How can he do that? _She wondered. _He's so close to actually convincing me that I am as beautiful as he says I am. It's amazing...no one has ever been able to make me feel so important before._

Trinity was obviously still uncertain. Neo sighed. "Do I need to further prove my point?"

He lowered the single arm stabilizing himself above her to bring himself against her, his lower half moving in the right place. She let out a gasp of shock when she felt him so close to her, pushing her hips up against his to try and further close the non existing gap between their bodies. She moved both hands to grope at his back as she did so, biting on the insides of her cheeks to stop herself from crying out in pleasure.

Neo began to kiss her cheek, his mouth traveling down to her neck. He could smell her so clearly now, her scent surrounding him...infecting him. He nuzzled the hollow between her neck and shoulder, his hair tickling her heated skin. She brought one hand off his back and tugged playfully at the short strands, until she cupped his chin and brought his lips to her own.

Trinity felt his tongue pressing against her lips and started to panic, truthfully afraid of experiencing her first open kiss. Her lips parted automatically and allowed him to enter her mouth involuntarily, although she couldn't deny that she didn't like what he was doing to her....didn't like the indescribable feeling of the wetness past his lips. Her tongue seemed to take on a mind of its own, pushing past his to enter his mouth. Their tongues clashed, and he moaned inside her mouth, pulling away as she emitted a soft whimper.

Neo rolled onto his back, panting with desire but remembering that the cockpit wasn't the place for that kind of....thing. Smiling, he turned on his side to face her just as she did the same. She timidly placed an arm around his neck while he draped his over her waist.

_I can't believe this is...Trinity. I wouldn't have recognized her if I saw her like this a few weeks ago...before any of this happened. It's amazing that someone can go through such a dramatic change in such a short amount of time...what really amazes me is that I'm the only one who'll ever get to know or see this version of Trinity. When she lets her guard down...when she becomes less of a warrior and more of a woman._

Trinity noticed a smudge of dirt on his nose that hadn't been there before. _He must've gotten it when he rubbed his nose into my neck......must've rubbed off my skin and onto his. _She licked her thumb and rubbed it across his nose, smiling as she did so. Neo grinned, running his hand (the one around her waist) up and down her back soothingly yet becoming increasingly uncomfortable on the steel floor.

"Trinity?" He asked her softly. He didn't want to disturb them in this moment of peace and happiness...something so hard to find when at war. But if they didn't get up soon, they wouldn't be able to complete what they started out to do.

"Mmmm?" She answered through closed eyes, basking in the pure bliss of the moment. If it hadn't been for Neo, she wouldn't have discovered she had this side to herself....a feminine side. It must have been lying within her all this time and only needed someone to bring it to surface. In a way, kind of like Neo and his being the One.

_Maybe I should let this side of me shine through a little more often. It certainly makes me feel good- more natural._

"Is it just me?" Neo continued. "Or is this floor getting more uncomfortable by the second?"

With one sentence, he brought her crashing back to reality. Trinity took in her surroundings and realized that this was neither the time nor the place to be in such a frame of mind.

"Come on." She jerked her head towards the ladder. "We better go."

She stood and made her way to the core, Neo following her lead.

(o)

Tank and Morpheus took to the ship's controls in the cockpit with Neo and Trinity standing behind them scarcely an hour later, watching intently. Of course it was impossible for four crew members to fully repair the hovercraft without the proper equipment. However, Morpheus believed they had managed to restore enough power to get them back to Zion now that Neo and Trinity had finished repairing the engines.

"We should count ourselves lucky." Morpheus stated as he started up the engines. "This area was remote enough to prevent us from encountering another sentinel attack. If one should have occurred, we would have been defenseless."

"I think we're lucky we didn't freeze to death." Tank said, rubbing his hands together to prove his point. "Without the boiler, I seriously thought we would have."

The engine jump started, bringing an end to the conversation. All were too busy ensuring that everything would run smoothly to notice Neo slide an arm around Trinity's waist, pulling her close to him as the ship shuddered to life. Trinity looked up into his eyes with surprise, only to see him staring directly in front of him, deep in thought and concentration. She then chose to do the same.

"Finally." Tank breathed a sigh of relief. "We're going home, guys."

"How long till we reach Zion?" Neo asked.

"About forty two hours." Morpheus answered instantly, not bothering to turn around (though if he would have, he would have gotten a nice suprise when he saw the way Neo and Trinity stood together). "Nearly two days."

"What's going to happen when we get there?" Neo asked after a silent pause, afraid of what the answer would be.

"First we'll dock the ship and then ensure it's given proper repairs." Morpheus said, perhaps with a little anxiousness hidden in amongst a tone of formality. "Next I'll see the Council about all that has happened while Trinity and Tank show you around and find you some accommodation. What happens next is in the council's hands."

Neo said nothing, but Trinity felt his arm tighten around her waist as he tensed. She began to caress his arm worriedly, urging him to relax. _He's scared, and for good reason. Who knows what they'll do to him when they learn that he is the One......what they'll do to us. I wouldn't be able to bare it if they decided to order him to remain in Zion, or if Morpheus told them about our relationship and we had to be separated. But there's no way out of it. We have to go...have to face our fears._

"The two of you can take the next shift in a few hours. I'll wake you then." Morpheus instructed. "Get some sleep."

"Yes, sir." Trinity answered. Neo loosened his hold on her, allowing her to slide away and move to the ladder with him in close pursuit.

"Please note that he said sleep and not sex!" Tank joked as they descended the ladder.

"Tank." Trinity and Morpheus said warningly. Tank merely laughed in reply.

Neo reached the base of the ladder and a red faced Trinity waiting for him. He grinned, letting her lead him to the ladder that descended to the lower deck. Arriving at their separate rooms, Neo paused, his hand stiff on the door wheel. Confused, Trinity turned to face him worriedly, wondering if all the pressure built up over the past weeks had finally gotten under his skin. Frankly, she couldn't blame him when she was feeling in such a similar way, but for many different reasons.

Even though she'd been to Zion numerous times before, Trinity was particularly anxious about this visit. And not just because she was afraid they would take Neo from her. Tank's comment had reminded her of Apoc and Switch and how they couldn't do anything on the ship because the walls were too thin and it simply wasn't private enough. So therefore, the infrequent trips to Zion were always awaited with anticipation by the two of them. Would the situation be the same for her and Neo? Would this trip to Zion have _more _in store for them than just a regular visit?

Neo wasn't thinking about this theory at all. Something like making love to Trinity seemed too beautiful...too sacred...too unbelievable to even imagine, let alone think of as a possibility. He did, however, have something more on his mind that involved the woman beside him. He'd been thinking about this for almost two weeks, every time they parted to their separate rooms each night. But he had been too afraid to ask her about it, and still wondered if it should be a good idea to challenge their relationship this much.

"Is something wrong?" Trinity asked quietly.

Neo met her gaze and smiled. "Just thinking about what Tank said. It is pretty cold on board this ship without the boiler."

Trinity breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, she thought he had been meaning to talk about the _other _comment. She didn't think she was ready to discuss what was on her mind just now.

Neo was rubbing the back of his head like something uncontrollable, a cause of his explosion of nerves. He knew what he wanted to say, but didn't know how he could say it. Trinity was watching him curiously, expecting him to say something more. When nothing else came, she turned away.

"Well....goodnight." Trinity bid him awkwardly, moving towards the door. Suddenly, a hand shot out a grasped her arm tightly, holding her back just moments before she pulled the door open. She froze, turning back to Neo. His face was stony, seemingly emotionless. But somehow she could tell he was afraid of something.

_If I don't say something now, I never will. _He told himself inside the privacy of his own mind.

"Wait." He said hurriedly, although it was clear she wasn't going to go anywhere. "This is going to come out all wrong but....well, there isn't an easier way to say it." He took in a deep breath, preparing for the worst. "Trinity, would you........I mean, I have a double bed, so....."

His speech came out slurred and touched with a quavering fear, yet somehow she managed to understand him perfectly. She gaped at him. _He wants to share a bed? Well I wasn't expecting that! Not that I wouldn't want to share a bed with him. It isn't as if we're going to do anything, and even if it is just one step closer to a more 'intimate' relationship, there really isn't any harm in it. Hell, why not? I do love him after all, and this is what people in love do. I've never done something like this before, but why not start now?_

She stepped away from her own door, bringing herself close enough to kiss him softly on his lips as her only reply. He took this to signify her consent, and was secretly rejoicing. Letting go of her arm, he tugged the door open and stood back to give her access to his room. Following her in and closing the door behind him, Neo watched as she took in the room's every detail as he took in her beauty and marveled at the knowledge that she wasn't just going to leave after she'd brought him his food and medical treatment like before when he still had his stitches in, but would stay with him the entire night.

Trinity looked around her and was instantly reminded of Apoc and Switch again. The rest of the crew seemed to have made a silent agreement not to go inside the room when it belonged to them. Even Mouse didn't dare violate that law. It seemed odd to now call it Neo's room, though he had occupied it ever since he'd first been brought in here injured and weak after battle. It seemed even stranger to call it Neo and Trinity's room, even if that was what it was going to be tonight.

Without making a sound, Trinity sat on the edge of the unmade bed and began to unbuckle her boots, Neo following her lead as he sat down beside her. Once this was done, he grasped both his shirts by the hem and pulled them off, folding them neatly and placing them at the end of the bed. He was not usually this neat with his belongings, but wanted to leave a good impression on the woman who sat beside him. Trinity remained silent as he moved into the bed and shifted over to the far side (the one closest to the wall), propping himself up with one elbow to watch her.

_What does he expect? A strip show? _She thought bitterly to herself. Nevertheless, she decided to change into her proper sleeping attire regardless of the embarrassment it would cause to both for the sheer sake of seeing the look on his face. She turned herself away from him completely, pulling her over-shirt off and tossing it onto the floor so that only her thin strapped black under-shirt and bra remained covering her top half.

Neo stared at her back in awe, marveling at her chalk white skin. Indeed, he'd seen her in this much clothing before, but in a more intimate situation things were somewhat different. He knew it was impolite to stare at her, but he found it impossible to tear his eyes away from her even if he wanted to try. When she stood up off the bed to let her pants drop, now wearing nothing on her lower half but a skimpy pair of black underwear that matched the under-shirt, and revealing startling white legs untouched by rays of sun, his jaw dropped automatically as she kicked the pants aside.

Trinity looked over her shoulder to read his reaction and was pleased with what she saw. His eyes were wide, glittering with lust and his jaw had literally dropped. She turned her body to face him and smiled as his eyes roamed over her skin, pausing at the gap between her shirt and underwear, revealing part of a flat stomach. She stood there for some time, just enjoying the feeling of his eyes on her, taking in every single exposed inch of her.

_She's amazing. _Neo marveled. _How she can think she's not beautiful is beyond me. _He remembered something Mouse had told him once: _She's got legs to kill. Damn, isn't that the truth?_

She slid delicately into the bed beside him, pulling the blankets up to cover her body. At first they lay still with a wide gap between them on the bed until Neo gained enough courage to move up against her....to touch her skin. They shifted around beneath the blankets, trying to find a position both were comfortable with. Eventually giving up, Trinity turned her back to him, tucking the blankets around her waist. Unable to bare such a great separation from her when they were so close, he shuffled up behind her, draping an arm over her waist and resting his hand on her stomach, grasping her fingers with his own and pressing his body against her.

"I like sleeping like this." He breathed into her neck, his breath tickling her skin.

"Me too." Trinity said with a sly grin at the lameness of the comment.

Time passed, and Neo held her tightly, regretting the time when he would have to let her go. Her skin felt so soft....so beautiful, and in that moment his worst fear was the dreaded hour when Morpheus would come to wake them up. He clasped her even tighter at the thought, practically strangling her waist with his grip, although she made no motion of protest. Eventually becoming too tired to remain awake any longer, he moved his head back up against her neck in order to speak into her ear.

"I love you." He whispered, sending shivers down her spine.

"I love you." She repeated, already mostly asleep as she grasped his hand even tighter.

He leaned in to gently kiss her neck before he rested his head back onto the pillow, listening to her steady breathing as she fell asleep.

In....out....in.....out.....


	16. Zion

A/N: Chapter dedicated to Kris.

16

Morpheus reached the door to Neo's room, too tired to take any care in opening it. The trip back to Zion may have been a short one, but it felt like it had taken an eternity to reach the point they had arrived at, when it had only taken six hours. And without a full crew, each person would need to take a longer shift. It looked as if the trip may be a harder one than expected.

Tugging the door open fiercely out of exhausted frustration, he expected to see a single figure sprawled out across the bed. Instead, there were two figures tucked up together in the middle of the bed, facing away from the wall and breathing in perfect rhythm. For a moment, he almost believed that he was seeing Apoc and Switch before he remembered they were dead.

Taking a closer look, he almost fell back in surprise when he recognized one of the figures as Trinity. She was lying on her side with the blankets tucked around her waist, leaving only her top half exposed. The only clothing she wore that was visible above the blankets was a black, thin strapped under-shirt. She may have been lying in an awkward position, but she was smiling in sleep, a hand resting on her stomach and clasping fingers with a hand that wasn't her own. Neo lay behind her in the same state, pressed up against her closely.

_Well this certainly is a surprise. _Morpheus thought to himself as he watched the scene from the doorframe. _Never before have I seen Trinity look so peaceful and so content...and to smile like that...to wear that amount of clothing...it's almost as if she's an entirely different person._

His presence must have woken her, because she stirred in her sleep, her eyes fluttering open as she took in her surroundings. She noticed Morpheus watching her with a kind smile and blinked, startled, clutching Neo's fingers tightly as she raised her eyebrows in question.

Morpheus now regretted entering so loudly and disturbing the scene of tranquility that filled the room. He remembered what he was here for and mouthed the words 'Your shift' and Trinity nodded curtly to show she understood. Smiling to himself and nodding once in reply, Morpheus left the room as quietly as possible, closing the door with a gentle click.

Trinity lay stiffly for a moment, feeling Neo's breath brush against the back of her neck. Upon awaking, she'd been surprised to find herself feeling warm and content with a weight pressed against her back and a hand clasped with her own. It had taken a few brief seconds for her to remember why, and when she did she couldn't help but be embarrassed at being found in the situation. Although things could have been worse. It could have been Tank who was sent to wake them.

Somehow, when she saw the look on Morpheus's face when he saw her lying there in such a state of pure bliss, she knew that he wasn't even going to try and separate them, but instead ensure that they remained together. Perhaps he thought she and Neo reminded him of Niobe. All feelings of uncertainty towards the way her captain felt about her new found relationship had now disappeared.

_I suppose I better get him up. _Trinity decided. She hated to do it, but knew she had to if they were ever going to make it to Zion. She rolled onto her back, shifting Neo's weight and causing him to stir.

"Mmmm...Trin...." He mumbled in sleep, only half conscious of his surroundings. Trinity's head jerked at the sound of the unfamiliar name, wondering why on earth (half conscious or not) he would suddenly decide to address her this way. It was a name Cypher invented, and therefore a name she despised. But it sounded different when it came from Neo's lips. She smiled- perhaps he may be the one exception to her unwritten law of being addressed by her full name.

"God." Neo yawned, his brown eyes groggy with sleep as he opened them slowly. "What time is it?"

"I haven't the slightest idea." Trinity replied truthfully, watching as he rubbed his eyes and struggled to sit up, but still kept one hand clasped with her own. "I'd say around 3am, Matrix time if six hours have passed since we fell asleep. Morpheus never allows anyone to work over six hours, full crew or not."

"Shit." Neo groaned, flopping back onto the pillows beside her and staring up at the ceiling.

"Didn't you sleep well?" Trinity asked worriedly. _He really is going to need all the rest he can get..._

Neo firmly shook his head, becoming aware of the fact that he was still holding her hand. He turned to face her, smiling broadly. "Truthfully, I don't think I've ever slept better. I just didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked."

"Oh." Was all she could muster to say in reply, flattered by his comment.

"What about you?" He questioned.

"Best sleep I've ever had." She said after a pause. It took her some time to work up enough courage to make her reply.

"Good." He said, now propping himself up with one elbow so he could look at her properly. She lay on her back with her hand clutching his and resting on her stomach, her face stony and her eyes still lined with sleep. Wisps of disheveled ebony hair had fallen into her pasty white face, and her lips were parted ever so slightly as she breathed.

He bent his head to kiss her, still holding her hand as he did so. Her lips felt dry in the early morning, and he traced them with his tongue before bringing it inside her mouth. He didn't know how long he kissed her....exploring each line in her mouth with his tongue as she did the same to him before he pulled away to take in much needed air, and she sighed heavily, closing her eyes softly.

In that moment, Trinity would have liked nothing better than to lie there for what remained of her days. If this was some pleasant dream, and to wake up would mean to reenter a life of solitude and coldness without him, she never wanted to. Now she could see where Cypher was coming from when he said that maybe living in a fantastical world could be better than living in reality. Everything felt too good to be real....how was it possible for someone to experience so many pleasant emotions at once?

"We have to get up, Neo." She said after some time, remembering what had woken her in the first place.

Neo nodded to show that she needed to say no more and let go of her hand, moving away to allow her to stand first. He watched silently as she found her clothes and pulled them on, tearing fingers through her hair in an attempt to try and make it a little neater. Eventually, he scrambled out of bed and tugged both his shirts on, stuffed his feet into his boots and fumbled with the clasps.

When both were ready, Trinity wrenched open the door and moved to climb the ladder, leaving it open for Neo to follow. They walked in silence until they reached the cockpit where Tank was waiting for them, leaning back in his chair in front of the controls.

"Morning." He said with a yawn. "Think you got enough sleep to manage a six hour shift?"

Trinity said nothing, but took the seat beside him. Tank stood and gestured for Neo to take his place. Neo hesitated before sitting down. Piloting a hovercraft was something they didn't teach in school, and he had no idea what he was doing. Trinity didn't even need to look at him to know that he was nervous.

"I don't expect you to know what you're doing, Neo." She said. "I'm going to teach you. Don't worry."

Neo nodded, not entirely convinced. He had always been a fast learner, but that didn't mean that he would find this any less difficult. Tank patted his shoulder in a friendly manner before descending the ladder and headed towards a welcomed sleep.

The ship was resting aloft, the engines whirring around them. Trinity pulled the seatbelt around her and clipped it into place, Neo following her lead. After checking their coordinates and the distance to Zion, she took the controls in her hands and tapped a few buttons, causing the ship to shudder back to life and rise slightly before she began to guide it down a nearby tunnel.

Trinity had been granted the task of teaching newly unplugged people to pilot the ship several times before and new the procedure well. But as it was with Neo, she struggled to keep her tone business like when only moments ago, she had awoken beside him and kissed him passionately. Somehow, she managed to find that she could keep her expression stony, her voice emotionless and her manner serious.

She found that the best way to teach someone something new was to demonstrate it and explain what she was doing and why as she did so. At first, Neo sat stiffly in his chair with his hands folded in his lap, taking in her every word and trying to remember what she was telling him. It was soon that he discovered that she couldn't pilot the ship on her own, and gingerly took the controls in hand, trying to keep everything she had told him in mind and found that it was surprisingly easier than he expected.

Trinity was highly impressed when she saw how Neo was able to learn something so difficult so quickly. _That's incredible! He can heal and learn faster than anyone else I've ever met before! Is there anything he can't do?_

Once he began to relax and the ship was running on a steady course, she stopped hollering instructions to him and gave him time to start a leisurely conversation instead.

"What does Zion look like?" He asked suddenly into the silence that now surrounded them.

Trinity paused to consider this before she came up with her answer. "It's pretty hard to describe. It's nothing like anything in the Matrix, or anything you've seen in the real world yet. It's the warmest place left in the entire world...as well as the safest. The only entrances are guarded heavily all the time, and the chances of the machines breaking in are slim. It's basically a combination of earth, metal and stone blended in with the large population."

"How many people are in Zion?" He questioned, turning to face her in his chair.

"I honestly couldn't tell you. I'd say roughly over two million." She replied, keeping her eyes on the screen in front of her.

"Compared to the Matrix, that's a pretty small amount." Neo commented, before he decided to change the topic. "So what do people usually do in Zion?"

Trinity shrugged. "I never stay there long enough to spend any leisure time. Morpheus never wants to stay there longer than we have to."

"Why?"

"I guess that he, like me, gets bored of living peacefully for too long." Trinity smiled when she locked eyes with him and saw the puzzlement on his face. "I life of war is the only life I've ever really known. I suppose it's hard for me to adapt to a quieter way of living, even if it is for a short period of time. The longest I've ever stayed in Zion for is two weeks."

There was a silent pause, in which Neo tried to picture the place Trinity described but nothing came to mind. He was afraid of what awaited him there, and of what the Council would do to him when they found out he was the One. Would they order him to stay in Zion for his own protection? Would they run tests on him...make him do things to prove he was the One? Would they separate him from Trinity?

"Trin, what are they going to do to me?" Neo finally had to ask into the silence. He didn't know what possessed him to call her by a different name....he thought he might have heard someone else call her it once....or maybe that was just a dream...

Trinity froze before she replied. She could taste the fear laced in with the question; and it was the second time he'd called her 'Trin'. "I don't know, Neo."

"Do....do they have the power to take me off the Neb?" He continued, gripping the controls nervously. Trinity knew how afraid he was, and she was just as equally terrified at the mere possibility. But she knew she couldn't show him this....knew that if he saw she was afraid, it would only make things worse for him.

"Yes." She paused to read the downcast expression on his eyes as he stared at her in fear, then added quickly. "But they won't. Not if I can help it."

Neo let out a breath of laughter. "Now I'm kind of hoping they order me to stay in Zion just so I can see your reaction."

"You might just get your wish." Trinity smirked. "You're about to learn, Neo, that I can turn real ugly, real fast."

"I'll bet." He grinned briefly before his face fell again as another thought popped into his head. "Um....you don't mind me calling you 'Trin', do you?"

Trinity didn't even need to think about her answer, and replied almost automatically.

"No."

(o)

At first, Neo didn't think that piloting a hovercraft would take up so much of his bodily energy. All he was doing was sitting in a chair, pressing a few buttons, and tapping a few controls on Trinity's command....how hard could it be? But soon he found that the mental stress it placed on his brain also effected him physically so that by the time the six hour shift was up, he was just as eager to sleep again as Trinity was.

Without saying a word, Trinity led the way back down to the lower deck once Tank and Morpheus came to take their shift. She stopped outside the door to Neo's room, waiting for him to make his way to her side, too embarrassed to go inside without being invited.

It seemed as if they'd made a silent agreement to share a room from now on. Neo pulled the door open and allowed her to enter first, shutting the door tightly behind him.

They undressed much faster than before, both too tired to think about anything other than sleep. Neo finished undressing first again and climbed into bed first, with Trinity only just behind him. When he put his arm around her waist again, pulling her against him tightly, neither realized nor cared that their conjoined hands were further down Trinity's stomach than they had been before.

"Trin?" He mumbled quietly as they began to drift into sleep.

"Yes?" She whispered, shifting her weight against him.

"I-I was just wondering." He began, pausing to yawn. "Do you ever miss the Matrix? Do you ever wish....wish that you could have a warm place to go home every night....a soft bed....a big meal....lots of friends. You know, a normal life?"

"Sometimes." She admitted. "But then I remember that this is the life I chose when I took the red pill. I remember what I'm fighting for, and I remind myself that I have a job to do. And then I realize that I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking about Cypher...how he wanted to get back into the Matrix." Neo said, smiling into her upper back which his head was placed against. "I-I just can't image why anyone wouldn't want to be free, even if this world isn't as comfortable as the Matrix is."

"I take it you don't ever miss the Matrix, then?" Trinity breathed.

"Never." Neo whispered back. "At least, not when I'm with you."

(o)

After seven six hour shifts shared between Morpheus, Tank, Trinity and Neo, they finally arrived at Zion's gates. Morpheus and Tank took the last shift, much to Neo's annoyance. As they had drawn steadily closer to Zion, he'd grown more and more excited to see what it was like until he could no longer wait for the ship to land and wanted to pilot it when they came through the gates. But Trinity insisted he needed as much rest as he could get in order to prepare for whatever awaited them when they arrived.

Minutes before the ship was scheduled to dock, Trinity rolled onto her back and woke the sleeping Neo with a soft kiss and gentle words. "Time to get up."

"Are we here?" He asked her, sitting up almost instantly.

Trinity nodded. "We need to get dressed."

She pushed back the blankets and scrambled out of bed with Neo close behind her. Instead of putting on the ripped and dirty clothes she'd been wearing since Neo became the One, she rummaged around the room in search of something clean and found an over-shirt and pair of pants that had once belonged to Switch. The indigo coloured shirt and black pants were much tighter than what she usually wore in the real world, but at least they weren't work-worn and practically destroyed like the other clothes she had. She tugged them on, and then ran fingers through her hair in a desperate attempt to make it neat.

Neo didn't fail to notice that Trinity was taking much more care with her appearance now that they were leaving the ship and wondered why, since Trinity didn't seem like the sort of person who would really care about looks. At least that was what he gathered from their conversations when repairing engines together in the cockpit. However, he decided not to ask and dressed in the same two shirts he'd been wearing before.

"You'll be surprised to find that Zion is much warmer than it is on the Neb, even with the boiler working." Trinity explained when the ship shuddered to a halt outside a gate that would give them access to Zion. "It's because we're closer to the earth's core, so you only really need one shirt when you're there."

Neo obediently brought his hands back to the hem of his shirt, but Trinity stopped him. "Don't worry about it now. People wear entirely different clothes in Zion to what they wear on ships. No doubt someone will find you something else to wear."

"Right." Said Neo, now struggling even harder to picture the last city of mankind.

The ship began to move again, but at a much slower pace than before. It sunk downwards, and he began to feel a ringing sensation in his ears, much similar to the feeling of being in a plane when it landed in the Matrix. He gripped onto the door wheel to stabilize himself as the Nebuchadnezzar finally touched down and the engines whirred, then died.

"Get your bags." Trinity instructed. Before they'd fallen asleep after the final shift, Trinity given Neo two bags that had once belonged to Apoc and told him he needed to return to his old room and pack his things into both. Since he had so few possessions, this hadn't taken him too long, and the bags he now had over each shoulder where considerably light.

Neo was filled with a boyish excitement as he climbed the ladder to the main deck and met Tank and Morpheus outside the ship's entrance, both with bags swung over their shoulders. Although he was afraid of what awaited him in Zion, the prospect of seeing the city he'd heard so much about made him anxious to get there as soon as possible.

Trinity moved up to stand beside him, and couldn't resist letting a small smile slip onto her face when she saw the look on his own. _At least he seems to have forgotten about the Council and what they might do to him when they find out he's the One. By the looks of things, he actually seems to be in a pretty good mood._

The entrance to the Nebuchadnezzar consisted of a steel wall that automatically opened and fell back to make a slanted ramp that would take them to the floor of the landing dock. It fell slowly to reveal a circular shaped dome of iron and steel and metallic paths winding in between the large docks just wide enough to house a single hovercraft and built in a circular shape, suspended a good hundred feet above the actual ground. Hundreds upon hundreds of cotton clad people bustled between the docks hurriedly, each anxious to get to their destination and too preoccupied with what was on their own mind to take notice of anyone else. Pale faced teenagers pushed carts and trolleys loaded with different assortments of weapons, tools and military equipment, swerving between the clusters of people to load it onto the surrounding ships, waiting patiently to be recharged or repaired.

Neo stared around him in awe, his jaw hanging open as Morpheus and Tank led the way down the ramp (once the wall) and onto a path where several soldiers awaited them, their faces pallid and stony.

Trinity took one look at Neo and smiled secretly to herself. _I'll never get tired of seeing the expression on a newbie's face when they see Zion for the first time._

"She'll need full repairs." Morpheus told one of the soldiers at the end of the ramp. "And a solid four or five days of recharging. There are five dead bodies resting in the Med Bay. I'm sure you know what is needed to be done to them."

The soldier nodded once, and Morpheus pushed past him to make his way down the nearest pathway with Tank not too far behind him. Trinity turned to Neo, who was still gazing around him and marveling at the different features of the dock. She held out an arm and touched his, her knuckles lightly grazing his skin and bringing him back into reality.

"Follow me." She said with a smile before moving down the ramp and onto the path in a hurry to catch up with Morpheus and Tank. She took long, rushed strides and Neo had to struggle to keep up with her, moving awkwardly due to the fact that he was still taking in his surroundings as he did so.

"So, what do ya think, Neo?" Tank asked him with a playful grin when they caught up to him and Morpheus outside an elevator.

"It's amazing! I've never seen anything like this before." I've never seen anything like this before." Neo exclaimed truthfully, then added. "Well...technically, I really haven't seen all that much yet, so I'm not one to judge."

"Trust me, Neo." Tank continued. "There's no place in this world or in the Matrix that is in anyway similar to the place you're gonna see today."

The elevator arrived and the doors opened with a metallic clang, revealing three people standing behind it who moved out onto the dock instantly. The first was a woman who appeared to be their leader, at least in Neo's frame of mind. She was slender and dark, with braids of raven hair pulled out of her face and wide brown eyes. She dressed in a faded red cotton over-shirt that was very similar to the one Morpheus wore. Trinity had told Neo when they were repairing the ship that anyone wearing this coloured over-shirt was a ship captain.

"Captain Morpheus, good to see you." The woman said with a nod of her head.

"And you too, Niobe." Morpheus replied, nodding too. "May I ask what you and your crew are doing in Zion?"

Neo had failed to take much notice of the two men who stood behind her. The first must have been a little older than he was, an Asian with a large figure and a proud flair about him. The other was small, meek and mousy with a shock of blonde hair.

"We're just here to recharge our ship." Niobe explained. "I've been looking for Jason, and I thought he might be here. Have you seen him?"

Neo couldn't help but notice how the muscles around Morpheus's lips tightened at the name, and his body seemed to stiffen.

"No, I haven't seen him. My crew and I only just arrived."

Niobe glanced over Morpheus's shoulder and her eyes widened a little when she locked them with Neo's. "Who's he? And where's the rest of your crew?"

"The bodies of the rest of the crew can be found within my ship. It's a long story, and no doubt the Council will be eager to here it first. I'll explain it in detail to you later." Morpheus turned to look over his shoulder, gesturing for Neo to step forward. "This is my newest crewmember, Neo."

Niobe held out her hand, and Neo hesitated before shaking it. He was surprised to find that she had a very firm grip. "Captain Niobe of the Logos." She turned to look back over her shoulder and gestured to each man in turn. "This is my second-in-command, Ghost, and my operator, Sparks."

"Nice to meet you." Neo said shyly, drawing back his hand when she loosened her grip.

"You're right, Morpheus." Niobe continued, taking her eyes off Neo and focusing them back on the other captain instead. "The Council is going to want to know what happened to the rest of your crew. I suggest you make your way to see them immediately."

"Thank you, Niobe." Morpheus smiled. "How long do you plan to stay in Zion?"

"No longer than necessary." She smiled in reply. "See you around."

Morpheus moved aside to allow Niobe, Ghost and Sparks to continue down the path to the dock that would lead them to their ship. He then stepped inside the elevator with the rest of his crew just behind him.

"I'll go to see the Council alone, first." Morpheus told them as the lift carried them further towards the lower floors. "Tank, take my bags to my room."

"Yes, sir." Tank replied solemnly, taking the bags from Morpheus's outstretched hand.

The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors clanked open. In Neo's opinion, stepping out of the elevator and into the heart of Zion was like stepping into an entirely different world. Here, things were still made of different metals, it's walls and floors sturdy and strong, held together by the perspiration and love of those who built it. Every so often, clods of earth would become visible between gaps in the metal and it amazed him (after spending almost a month in an artificial setting) that such a substance could exist in the real world.

But what really left Neo bewildered was the people who roamed the corridors that were lined with blood red steel doors leading into rooms. They dressed nothing like those in the docks, who were all clad in cotton and clothed warmly to shield themselves from cold. As Trinity had said, Zion was much warmer with an invisible balmy breeze wafting about in the air, which meant that all peoples dressed in garments appropriate for summer. The material was threadbare and flimsy, often showing off large areas of skin and leaving as much bare as possible. The clothes were styled like something out of an ancient Greek civilization, and ranged from long swirling robes and headscarves to thin, revealing midriff shirts and shorts. Each person seemed to take pride in their sunless skin, and equally as much pride in their hair, which they let grow long and tangled, flowing down their backs. Most had bare feet, though few wore sandals leather shoes. Neo could now see why Trinity made an effort with her appearance. He felt very much out of place in what he wore.

"I'll see you all later." Morpheus bid them with a smile before leaving them and disappearing round a corridor that would take him to a separate elevator, leading to the ground level and the Council.

"Whoa." Neo whispered under his breath when he caught a brief glimpse of what lay bellow him when he glanced over the side of the corridor to the floors bellow. "This place his huge."

"You ain't seen nothing yet." Tank replied, overhearing Neo's comment as the reached a separate elevator. He turned round to face Trinity, his expression serious for once. "Hey listen, I know Morpheus said I should be helping you to show Neo around and find him somewhere to stay, but....I kind of want to see the others first. Tell them about....you know..."

Trinity felt the tears begin to swell inside her once more. But she was now more than accomplished at keeping her emotions under control. She nodded once to show Tank that she understood.

"Shouldn't be too hard to find him a place to stay." Tank added with a sad smile. "I think he's already found somewhere to sleep. Or should I say _someone _to sleep with."

"Shut it, Tank." Trinity scowled, folding her arms across her chest. Tank let out a laugh just as the elevator doors sprung open, and he bid them farewell before leaving.

At once, both Trinity and Neo were overcome with a sense of sadness when they realized what he would have to do once he took Morpheus's bags to his room, although it effected Trinity even more so. She knew Tank's family quite well, having spent her first trip to Zion as a guest in their household before she was given her own room. She almost regretted leaving Tank with the challenge of informing them of Dozer's death alone, but knew that it was better this way.

I'm not part of their family, and Tank has more comfort then he'll ever need when he's with them. It's better for everyone if I leave them to themselves.

"So where are we staying?" Neo asked, automatically assuming that they would be sharing a bed just as they had been on board the Nebuchadnezzar. Trinity pretended not to notice this because frankly, it didn't matter at all. She would have asked him to stay with her anyway if he hadn't brought it up.

"My room's just three floors bellow Tank and his family's." Trinity answered blandly, pressing a button to start the elevator again. "Once we dump our bags, I'll show you around."

"Great." He smiled as the lift came to a stop almost as suddenly as it had started. Trinity took the cuffs of her over-shirt in her hands, a strange habit Neo had come to recognize as hers from all their time spent together, that she often did for seemingly no reason whatsoever. The doors parted and Trinity led the way out into the corridor that lay beyond.

"How many levels are in Zion?" Neo wondered aloud as he followed her past a cluster of people, all deep in conversation.

"Roughly over fifty." Trinity said. "There could be more, I'm not sure."

"Jesus." Neo muttered under his breath. _Floors and floors of people I have to save..._

Trinity paused outside a red steel door that looked no different to the others around it and turned the wheel to open it, pushing it back into the wall behind and standing aside to allow Neo to enter first. She stepped in behind him, pulling the door closed and dumping both her bags on the floor.

Neo stood in the center of the room, his eyes scanning the walls made of clods of earth like a tunnel dug into the side of a rock face. The atmosphere was much cooler in here for some unknown reason, and he noticed, to his delight, that the room was almost ten times the size of his room on board the ship.

There were two offside doors, both made of red steel and identical to the front one. They were positioned on opposite sides of the walls, almost directly in the center of the room. The space between them was nothing more than a long and wide hall that ended at a hollow cave dug into the earthy surface with a gigantic bed wedged inside it, dressed with flimsy white satin sheets and full, welcoming pillows. The bed cave was framed with short, thick white candles as was the rest of the room, and there was a small ditch that led to an offside kitchenette that consisted of three steel benches, one matching cupboard, and a rickety table and two chairs.

"Nice." Neo commented, turning back to face her with a smile. "Real nice."

"Better than what he have on the Neb." Trinity said with a shrug. She crossed the room and opened the door in the left wall, revealing a tiny closet inside holding two sets of clothes. When she addressed him again, he was surprised to hear that her tone was business like again. "You can put your bags in here. The bathroom is through the opposite door. I'm just going to change, so feel free to look around."

She took one of the outfits hanging up in the closet down and moved towards the bathroom, brushing against him as she went. Unable to understand why she was speaking like this when Zion obviously wasn't the place for it, he held out a hand to stop her, clasping it around her arm and pulling her back towards him.

Startled, Trinity turned to face him just in time to see the grin on his face before he brought her close enough to kiss her. She smiled against his lips and dropped the dress she was holding to the floor with a delicate _plop _so she could wrap both arms around his neck. He let the bags still sitting on his shoulders fall to the ground as he slipped both arms around her waist, massaging her hips soothingly. Finally, Trinity pulled back just far enough to speak, so her breath still brushed across his lips as she spoke.

"Later." She whispered weakly, not that she wanted to stop. It was always hard for her to adjust from the tense and fear-filled life she led when on board the ship to the relaxed and carefree way of living others in Zion seemed to cope with. Somehow, Neo had managed to make her change to fit the correct lifestyle with something as simple as a kiss.

"Not too much later." He whispered back, smiling as he did so. Trinity placed a quick kiss on his lips. He loosened his hold on her hips and she let her hand slide off from around his neck before she bent to pick up the dress she had allowed to slip to the floor and scurried into the bathroom, snapping the door shut behind her and leaving Neo to stand alone in the wider part of her room and wait for her return.

(o)

"This is the main temple in Zion." Trinity gestured to an archway that led into an earthy domain beyond. "It's where we gather to celebrate or commemorate large events, to pray as a community, to hold large functions or to....to mourn the death of those we've lost."

Neo stood beside her, arms laden with Zionist clothing she'd managed to find for him while touring him around the city. Since the upper floors were mainly rooms belonging to others, she'd only shown him the ground floors and still it had taken over an hour thus far- and there was still plenty more to see.

Although he showed interest in all that was around him, most of Neo's attentions were focused on Trinity. She wore a tan coloured gown that reached as far as her ankles, with bare feet prodding out from beneath it. It was split down the middle, showing off the white skin between her breasts and the central part of her stomach before it stopped at her waist. It was styled as a halter neck, tied up behind her neck so that it revealed both her shoulders as well as all of her back before it came to the waist, when it became a flowing skirt that didn't cling to her body, but didn't stick out too far either. She'd washed her hair, leaving the ebony strands crisp and sleek and even slightly kinky, framing her face freely and she made no attempt to brush them back.

"Over here is the orphanage, and next to that is the academy." Trinity said as she led him after her by the shirt, pausing in front of each entrance to explain something. "Zion's law is that no one under the age of twenty is to be unplugged, and those under eighteen are not allowed to leave Zion and work on ships. So newly unplugged children who are under the age of twelve or any children who have lost all their relatives come to stay at the orphanage. Once they are over thirteen, they merge with the ordinary Zion born children and are upgraded to the academy where they are taught how to be soldiers as well as given a basic education. Children who are at that level are given accommodation here, although they can chose to stay elsewhere if they have family and want to return home after the days lessons. Once they graduate when they're eighteen, they can chose a career path of their own."

"Do all children have to go to the academy?" Neo questioned.

Trinity nodded. "It's law for every child to attend here once they reach the age of thirteen. It isn't really much of a problem, since it's free education and so close to everyone since we all live in the one city. So far, I've been the only acceptation to that rule."

"Really?"

"I was unplugged when I was fifteen, and therefore I was supposed to be enrolled in the academy when Morpheus took me back to Zion. It is the job of every captain to ensure that he or she takes newbies through the proper training procedure during the trip back to Zion. In other words, the same training procedure we took you through. But Morpheus was so impressed with my performance during this session that he made mention to the Council that I needn't attend the academy but immediately star work on his ship. Once I proved that I was capable of doing so, they allowed me to do so. Six years later, the entire crew had changed completely from what it originally was and I was appointed second-in-command."

Neo bent his head in concentration as he followed her along a busy corridor. He could clearly remember a conversation they'd shared weeks ago when they were working together in the cockpit:

"You mean there was a whole different crew then to what there is now?" Neo had asked.

"Only Dozer and I were all that remained of Morpheus's original crew. The other members either retired, quit, found a job on another ship, or...died." Trinity had said with a sad smile as she watched him. "Gradually, the crew evolved and ended up being entirely different to what it originally was."

Before he could bring anymore memories to mind, his pattern of thought was broken when he heard a man shout Trinity's name from a distance, and looked up to see a shadowy figure running towards them. As he got closer, Neo could see that the on comer was a large and beefy man of about his age, with tawny brown hair and a goatee.

"Great, here comes a bastard if I ever did see one." Trinity muttered sarcastically under her breath in Neo's ear, causing him to laugh. She rose her head and spoke aloud as the man darted to her side. "What is it, Dwayne?"

Dwayne bent and rested his hands on his knees, puffing heavily and obviously out of breath from running a fair way. Finally, he regained enough strength to raise his head and speak in a loud and booming voice.

"How are we, beautiful?" He asked her slyly. Neo scowled, hating him already.

"What do you want?" She asked irritably, folding her arms across her chest.

"I love it when you wear that dress." Dwayne murmured, reaching out a hand to touch the material. Trinity was about to get tough when Neo acted before Dwayne could lay his hand on her, interrupting with a sharp voice.

"That's enough."

"Easy, easy." Dwayne defended. "No need to get so protective." He turned back to Trinity with a smirk spread across his face. "Who is this guy anyway?"

"This is Neo." Trinity replied. Neo stepped forward immediately and took her hand in his, fixing Dwayne with a look of utter loathing and hatred. Trinity did not protest, but was at first irresponsive before she finally clutched his hand in reply.

"Oh!" Dwayne exclaimed, taking in everything he saw. His voice was touched with obvious signs of irritation and annoyance. "So you've found yourself a lover, have you?"

The pair said nothing, watching him with equally angry glares, their hands still linked together. Dwayne let out a bark of laughter, tears spilling down his eyes from the effort of keeping them open and his face reddening by the second.

"Well I never thought I'd see the day the bitch finally decided she'd give in." Dwayne cackled, looking up to Neo's expressionless face. "Although I suppose she's _your_ bitch now."

"Shut up, Dwayne." Trinity ordered, somehow managing to keep her voice even and firm despite the rage bubbling beneath her skin. "Now what the hell do you want from me?"

"I want everything." Dwayne growled.

"God, get to the point!" She shouted. "What the hell do you want?"

"No need to be a bitch with me." Dwayne defended, realizing that the time had come to back away. "You precious captain sent me here to get you. Your required to stand before the Council." He looked over her shoulder and nodded to Neo, who was still swelling with anger. "So is he."

(o)

A/N: Nice, suspenseful place to leave it, I hope. I'm planning to make something out of this Dwayne character, but to see how he's related to and knows Trinity, you'll have to wait for the next chapter. My one hint is that he's closely connected to Cypher.

Thanks for reading, please review!


	17. Tension

A/N: Hmm...for some reason, I didn't like the last chapter much when I reread it. I think a couple of people were out of character. Wish I'd done it better, but I can't think of anyway I could improve it and still keep the plot line the same as I originally planned it to be- as well as keeping Dwayne in character. But at least I got some good reviews, so I suppose it isn't that bad. A big thank you to all my reviewers because you guys make writing this worth it!

Neo-lover72- I've taken your suggestion on board (the one you asked me about a couple of chapters back. With Neo comforting Trin). I promise to somehow fit it into the next chapter and ensure that I dedicate it to you!

Nice short chapter this time. I'm trying to get back into the mood of writing short chapters for some odd reason. The chapter after will most likely be a long one so I suppose a short one makes for a nice break.

Enjoy!

17

Trinity shot Neo and anxious glance, which he returned. They said nothing, knowing just with one brief look exactly what was on the other's mind. Fear...afraid of what would happen...afraid that they would not emerge from the Council's chamber as crewmembers again.

Not at all in the mood for continuing her conversation with Dwayne, Trinity pushed past him hurriedly, tugging Neo after her by the hand. At once, Dwayne darted up behind them, his short and stubby legs taking three small steps for every one of the Trinity's strides. Panting as he struggled to keep in line with them, he managed to holler a rushed statement.

"You have one hour before they demand to see you." He swerved clumsily through the oncoming crowd, dodging a group of children to meet them at an elevator. "They want both of you to go in together."

"Is that all you have to tell me?" Trinity enquired irritably, not even giving him the courtesy of turning her head. "Because if so, I'd appreciate it if you'd piss off.....now."

"Well, I can tell when I'm not wanted." Dwayne mumbled fake-huffily. "I guess I'll be seeing you around then. Bye, beautiful."

Trinity ignored him, but Neo was sure he saw her cheeks tighten at the statement. The elevator doors clashed open and a group of people bustled out onto the ground floor, leaving them room to slide into the elevator alone and ascend to the level that would take them back to their room.

"Who was that guy?" Neo asked, giving her a sideways glance that clearly depicted pure dislike for the man he mentioned.

"Dwayne?" Trinity asked, to which Neo nodded. "He's a Zion born, worthless fat failure who hasn't done anything with himself since the day he left the academy. He's been living off the good will of others ever since."

"He seems to have taken a shine to you." Neo muttered bitterly more to himself than to her. He immediately began to feel a sense of uneasiness. _Gee, I hope that didn't come out wrong...I don't want her to think I'm jealous or anything..._

Trinity caught the flicker in his brown eyes and was puzzled, having never seen him display such a look before. But in an instant, she knew what it meant when she considered the conversation they'd just shared with Dwayne. _He's jealous! Jealous of Dwayne? That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard...not to mention the most flattering. Although he is being a little irrational...and overprotective. I've been handling people like Dwayne all my life and I don't need a body guard. I can handle myself just fine._

She froze, hearing the old Trinity emerge from within herself. Although this was not a part of her she planned to forget or loose even if most of her had changed over the course of the past month, she realized that this was not the sort of situation to be in that frame of mind.

_He's being overprotective and jealous without realizing it himself. I suppose he can't help it...probably similar to the way I felt jealous of the Woman in Red when he stared after her during the time when he was taking the Agent training program._

"Dwayne was an incredibly close friend of Cypher's." Trinity explained as the doors to the elevator opened and she led the way back down an unfamiliar corridor to their shared room. "Apparently, they used to spend a lot of time together when they were at the academy. They got on well because they both disliked following orders, wanted to be rich, and had the same taste in women. In fact, they were so close at one stage that someone suspected Dwayne had something to do with the whole affair with Gina, even if that's impossible since he's never even been on board our ship."

"Oh." Neo replied, figuring out what sort of a character Dwayne was already based on a combination of what Trinity had told him, and of what he'd seen thus far. He could obviously see why Dwayne and Cypher could have been friends.

Trinity sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, watching as he packed his new clothes into the closet, selected one outfit and carried it with him towards the bathroom along with an assortment of toiletries from his bag. He crossed the room in the direction of the bathroom, pausing in front of the bed to smile at the woman who watched him. He could already clearly see the worry etched across her face, and the anxiety that danced in the depths of her ice blue eyes was painfully obvious despite all attempts she made to mask it with a stony and empty expression.

He wanted to kiss her...to comfort her...let her know that somehow he would find a way through this....he wouldn't let anything happen to him...for her. But now wasn't the time. They only had an hour before it was time to see the Council.

"Is it ok if I take a shower?" He asked her pitifully, coaxing his head to the side.

Trinity nodded as her only reply, and Neo smiled quietly before completing the walk to the bathroom and closing the door behind him with a gentle click.

The bathroom was much larger than the shower blocks or tiny toilet cubicles on board the Nebuchadnezzar, and would have been almost equivalent to the size of the singular small room he had owned on the ship before he became the One. A large shower stood to one side, a toilet to the other, with a hand basin facing directly opposite it and several thin shelves stacked above it. Everything except the white curtain of fabric that lined the shower was a dull and dreary shade of teal, making him feel a sense of tiredness and depression.

Dumping the items he held in his hands to the floor carelessly, Neo stripped off and turned on the taps to the shower, stepping inside and drawing the curtain around him. He sighed, feeling the dirt that had clung to his body for weeks on end now rush away. The warm water drizzled down his skin, making his tense muscles relax and his mind feel at ease despite what was to await him in less than an hour's time. To keep his mind off the Council and the interrogation into his personal life that was sure to come, he let his mind wonder back to a time when he was repairing the ship with Trinity and a conversation they had shared....

"I had only just turned eighteen and had been unplugged and serving Morpheus on board the Neb for three years." Trinity had informed him when she accidentally brought up a woman named Gina and Neo had made further inquiries. "After being unplugged for only one year, Apoc was assigned to serve on our ship, and together the two of us were working on unplugging Switch along with a more experienced solider named Amos. We were bringing Switch to see Morpheus when we were suddenly ambushed by a group of Agents. Amos took one look at the Agents, and then one look at Apoc, Switch and I before he told us to run while he held them off. We hesitated, but since he was of a higher rank than us, we obeyed him nevertheless." She paused, staring down at the wrench resting in her lap. "No one ever saw him alive again."

Neo had looked away, unable to think of anything to say. Somehow he didn't expect Trinity to want to continue her story, but moments later, she had picked up from where she left off. He wondered now, as he stood in the shower, rubbing what he hoped was some form of shampoo through his short spikes of hair, if she had expected or hoped he would give her words of comfort in that time, and now sorely regretted that he didn't. But what could he have said? I'm sorry? He'd already told her so numerous times before....there were so many events in Trinity's life that he needed to be sorry for...

"Amos was seeing a woman on our ship." Trinity finally continued. "A woman named Gina. Naturally, she was very shaken after his death, and went into a state of depression. I remember that she hardly ever came out of her room during that time, and Morpheus didn't pressure her to do any work...understanding what she must be going through. He selected a new crewmember from the academy to work in Amos's stead. Someone who was meant to be a highly skilled hacker, and a pretty good fighter as well. But that didn't make him any less of a bastard."

"Cypher." Neo said, stating the obvious. At the time, he was still in a naïve state of uncertainty when it came to discussing Cypher's betrayal. He had always been unnerved by Cypher for some strange reason....never able to feel comfortable when having conversations with him (At one stage, he thought this may have been simply because Trinity had explained the phone conversation she'd had with Cypher before his death in detail - including the part about him loving her. It made his stomach clench inside when he thought about it...about someone else being with her, even if they had technically never been together.). But even so, Cypher had always seemed to be a friendly enough person. He definitely didn't expect him to do what he did.

But what Trinity said next changed his view on Cypher and his behavior completely. It was then that he realized why he'd always felt so unsettled when in the other man's company. Why Trinity, Dozer, Switch and Apoc seemed to treat him in a manner of distaste. It was because of a dark and well hidden past that had left a mark on him, an aura of mistrust that Neo had somehow been able to sense.

"Cypher warmed up to Gina pretty quickly, although Gina was never the sort of person to let anyone in easily, and even more so now that Amos was dead. But she befriended Cypher because she seemed to find his dry sense of humor amusing, and he was able to make her laugh when she needed to be cheered up the most. But Cypher abused his position." Trinity lowered her voice as she added darkly. "She was nearly ten years older than he was, but that didn't seem to bother him. He took advantage of his friendship with her and of her pitiful state of mind by trying to, well, he tried to assault her. When she reported it, Cypher was brought before the Council in Zion. Unfortunately, there weren't any eyewitnesses or solid evidence to prove he was guilty of the charges pressed against him, even though nearly everyone suspected he did it."

"Then why was he still working on a ship by the time I was unplugged?" Neo wondered. "Morpheus wouldn't trust him after that, would he?"

Trinity paused to consider this a while before she came up with her reply. "Morpheus is a very fair man who believes in second chances. He knew that no other captain would want Cypher to work on their ship after what happened, and that meant that Cypher would be out of a job. So he gave him another chance to prove he was trustworthy." Trinity clenched the cuffs of her sleeves in her fists, boiling with anger at the mere thought of what happened. "I knew Morpheus should have known better than to trust him."

"What happened to Gina?" Neo had asked.

"Naturally, she refused to work on board the same ship as Cypher again. So Morpheus had her recruited to work somewhere else." Trinity turned to smile at her co-worker. "I'll bet that she'll find it hilarious when she hears about what happened...how Morpheus was stupid enough to trust Cypher again."

"But....there isn't any proof that he's guilty, is there?"

Trinity shook her head. "Not any solid evidence. But everyone thinks he did it. There certainly isn't a doubt in my mind. Unfortunately he was the only one who could prove that he really did it or not. I guess now that he's dead we'll never be able to know..."

_Maybe he told Dwayne the truth. _Neo mused as he turned the shower water off, emerging from behind the curtain to snatch a ragged towel and dry himself. _Wouldn't surprise me if they were that close in friendship...but if that's true then he wouldn't tell anyone the truth even now that Cypher is dead anyway. What really gets to me about the whole situation is that another human being could actually sink that low...to take advantage of a friendship they'd built with an older woman who was obviously going through some sort of mental trauma. I still can't believe there are actually people like that in the world._

He hung the towel back up and pulled on the clean outfit, consisting of a powder blue shirt made of thin fabric and dark navy cotton pants. He began to move about the bathroom and collect his things, pausing in front of the mirror when he caught sight of several fine hairs growing back on his jaw and grinned, hoping that someone had been kind enough to supply him with a shaver.

A fierce wrapping on the door broke him from his thoughts.

"Neo, we need to go." Trinity called through the door.

Neo said nothing, but pulled the door open to see Trinity glaring back at him, her face paler than usual and her eyes wide, glittering with worry. He wished he knew a way to make her feel better....some words of comfort he could say. But nothing came to mind. He swerved around her to stow his things away in his bag at the bottom of the closet.

Trinity watched him, trembling subconsciously as she wondered what would await them next. She didn't want to be afraid....people like her were never afraid...but she couldn't deny that the single emotion pouring into her very soul was none other than fear at its very worst.

_I can't lose him. _She told herself as she watched him move hurriedly about the room. _At least I know Morpheus is on our side. But what power does he have against the Council? I guess all I can do is wait...and hope.........but they can't take him...they won't...they can't..._

Neo turned back to face her, trying to think so something he could say...something he could do. But his mind was already focused on what lay ahead of them. He didn't know what they would do to him once they found out he was the One. Keep him in Zion to run tests on him? That possibility was terrifying enough on its own without having to know he'd have to deal with it without Trinity.

_It's funny. _He thought to himself. _Before I met her, I could manage to deal with things like this just fine on my own. But it's harder now...I don't think I could ever do anything without 't do anything without consulting her first. I have to think about Trinity every time I make a decision if I want it to be the right one. Because everything I do is going to effect us in some way from now on...not just me...us..._

"You ready?" She asked, trying and failing to hide her broken voice.

Neo nodded, taking to her side. He could sense the fear vibrating off her skin when he drew close to her, and automatically (as if by instinct), he ran his fingers lightly across the skin of her arm, guiding his hands between the metal of her plugs and the flesh of her pale skin. Her muscles tightened beneath his fingers, and then finally relaxed.

"It will be alright, Trin." He reassured her minutes before he pulled open the front door.

For once, she wanted to be the one who was comforted, and not the one _doing _the comforting. Instead of making her usual cool reply that would accompany such a remark, she spoke the question that was on her mind.

"How do you know?"

Neo took a moment to consider this before he came up with a direct response. _Because I can't live without you? Because soon they'll realize that I can only reach my full potential when I think about you? Because one way or another, I'll make sure that we stay together, even if it means that we have to tell Morpheus and Tank that they need to leave without us until I've completed whatever I have to do...even if it means disobeying their orders and leaving Zion with you anyway? Because...because..._

"Because it has to."

(o)

A/N: A nice, short chapter after so many long ones all in one go! I hoped you enjoyed it regardless of the length, anyways. In the next chapter, Neo and Trinity will stand before the Council and see what their response is to Neo's being the One and his relationship with Trinity, and what they plan to do about it! Stay tuned until then.

I'm still open to requests and I will try to fit in everyone's ideas because I want you to enjoy this story as much as possible. But since I already have most of this story figured out, it might be difficult...

Thanks for reading, please review!


	18. Comfort in others

A/N: Wow, this sure is a long chapter. Didn't I say it would be? It has literally taken me three separate days to write. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it!

Dedicated to Neo-Lover72 because the whole 'Neo comforts Trin' thing in this chapter was their suggestion.

18

"Have you ever stood in front of the Council before?" Neo asked Trinity as he struggled to keep up with her and swerve through oncoming crowds of people at the same time.

Trinity nodded, keeping her gaze on what lay directly ahead of her as she walked at a much faster pace than usual- partly due to the fact that they were running late but mostly as an attempt to calm her nerves.

"Almost everyone has had to stand before the Council at least once before for one reason or another. Newly unplugged people must in order to officially register themselves as a citizen of Zion on their first trip. I'm not keeping count, but I can say that I've stood before the Council roughly over six times before."

"What for?" Neo asked after a brief pause, perhaps with a note of playfulness in his tone despite the fluttering sensation he was experiencing in his stomach.

"Different circumstances." Trinity said with a shrug. "If I stopped and told you about each separate occasion in detail, we'd be even later than we already are now."

It was indeed true, this was certainly not the first time she'd stood before the Council and she knew each member quite well, as well as what to expect from them. But of course, the situation was now very different. Neo was involved.

They arrived at the door that led to the Council's chambers mere moments later, only to see Morpheus waiting for them just outside the iron double doors, his back pressed against the wall and his head bent, deeply lost in thought. He glanced upwards when he saw them approach and smiled kindly, nodding once in greeting.

"Morpheus, do..." Neo began, but trailed off, truthfully unsure of what he wanted to say. But he didn't need to, as Morpheus seemed to know exactly what was on his mind.

"I told them everything, Neo." Morpheus answered somewhat colourlessly. "At least everything I knew."

"And what did they say?" Questioned Trinity anxiously.

"They told me to send word to both of you to tell you that you were required to stand before the Council in an hour, and the details for the burial ceremony for the rest of the crew. Nothing more." Morpheus stood aside to let them pass. "I suggest you go in now. You're already late as it is."

Neo nodded, but stood rigidly to the spot, unable to make his feet move. He knew what awaited him beyond the doors ahead of him...attention...fear...uncertainty, and he didn't like any of those things at all. However, he took comfort in knowing that Morpheus had already told the Council the full story, and therefore the daunting task wouldn't be placed upon his head. But it didn't make the situation seem any brighter.

Although she was just as equally afraid of the Council's decisions, Trinity had enough sense to know that standing outside the door and trembling was not an option. She yanked one of the heavy doors open with one hand, and used the other to tug him through it after her.

Neo gazed around him, taking in his surroundings as he was pulled downwards to the front of the room. Like the dock, the room was large and set in a circular shape, made (like nearly everything else in Zion) from different assortments of coloured metal. The room seemed to be built on a slant, so that the rows of aligned, empty and highly uncomfortable looking benches were risen slightly. They were cut into three sections and divided by two staircases running directly down to the lower bay of the room and beginning at the sets of identical double doors, one of which they had just entered through.

A long table draped in white cloth was positioned in the lower bay facing the rest of the benches. About a dozen people sat stiffly in the hard backed seats behind it, dressed in long flowing Zionist robes and headdresses, each seemingly from different nationalities. They were all elderly, their faces pallid, wrinkled and a few even cruel. But judging from most, Neo would have to say that they appeared to be emotionless drones without any personality whatsoever. Yet he had learned from Trinity that first impressions are not always correct; and in more ways than just one.

_Who knows? Perhaps they might allow me to continue working on the Neb...perhaps they might let Trinity and I remain together. Maybe they won't make me do anything at all! _Although he knew that most of these thoughts were far fetched, they were helping to keep him in a good mood, and he almost began to believe in them.

Remembering something that Trinity had told him on his first conscious night in the real world, he leaned in to whisper in her ear just as they neared the final step.

"Positive frame of mind."

Trinity paused and looked up at him in surprise, wondering how he'd managed to remember something that had passed between them that seemed to occur such a long time ago. He winked, reading the expression on her face and she smiled tightly to show she had understood.

The Council were silent until the pair reached the lower bay and Trinity pulled Neo behind one of the rickety tables positioned directly opposite an eloquent old woman sitting right in the center. Neo automatically assumed that she was the Head Councilor. He saw a set of seats behind him and was about to drop into one, figuring that he was able to since the entire Council were sitting as well. But when he caught sight of the look on Trinity's face, he knew his assumptions were obviously wrong. He stood as straightly as possible, hands folded together in front of him, mimicking her every movement.

The Head Councilor looked at Neo directly, her dull teal eyes empty and unfeeling. "You are Neo, recently unplugged solider brought into the world and now serving Captain Morpheus on board the ship, the Nebuchadnezzar?" She said formally.

"Um....yeah?" Neo mumbled uncertainly, feeling his face grow hot. The Head Councilor raised one fine eyebrow, but chose to say nothing. To his right, Trinity was casting him an irritable look, which he chose to avoid, and obviously the rest of the Council seemed to be just as annoyed by his lame and informal response. This was with the acception of one man sitting right beside the Head Councilor, who had to cough to hide a snort of laughter. Neo gave him a closer look and saw that he was plump and wrinkled with age, with thin bristles of white hair on his head and even finer ones on his chin. Although he was old, his blue eyes sparkled with youth, unlike the rest of the Council, and he had a kind aura about him.

"And you admit to believing that you are the One?" The Head Councilor continued, not tearing her eyes away from his face.

Neo had never prided himself on his ability to speak in public, especially to complete strangers that had the power to control his decisions. But in hearing these words, he seemed to find strength from an unknown source. Strangely enough, it did not come from Trinity, but from something inside him that he hadn't known was there before. _I am the One. It's true. So why don't I tell them?_

"I don't just believe it." Neo said, basking in his new found confidence. "I know it."

Trinity blinked, startled. _Where did that come from? I thought he'd be struggling to form sentences like he told me he usually does in public, and he was doing so only a few moments ago! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the Head Councilor questioned him about being the One..._

She remembered a time when she and Neo somehow found themselves talking about public speaking and social situations. She didn't recall exactly how the conversation began, all she knew was that it occurred sometime during the period when they were repairing the ship's engines together in the cockpit....

"When I was at school, I was terrified of public speaking." Neo had explained as he worked. "I wasn't much of a social person, and my only friends were the other four people who played in my high school band."

"Well, that's four more friends than I had." Trinity had interrupted. Neo said nothing, but pulled out from underneath the engine to take a break from working. She had climbed out after him a while later only to see him lying on his stomach with both arms folded in front of his face. She sat, cross-legged beside him as she wiped her grubby hands on her shirt, listening intently to whatever else he would say.

"After I moved away from home when I finished school, I fell out with those friends as well. I guess I never made friends again because I wasn't very social...liked to be alone. But no one wants to be alone all the time, even me. But sadly, my only companions when I moved were work colleges and people who bought things from me. I wasn't friends with them." Neo had been staring into space, lost in thought, but then suddenly had turned to face her, grinning at a once forgotten memory. "You know, my mother once tried to make me more confident by forcing me to join the debating team in my first few years of high school. Even though she thought I would be a worthless failure, she seemed to believe that there was a thread of hope left for my social success. But it didn't go as well as she planned."

"I can imagine." Trinity said, grinning now too.

"Yeah...it was pretty awful. I wasn't friends with any of the other kids in my team, but they were kind enough to give me the job of being the second speaker since it was my first time." Neo continued, stating the last segment of the sentence sarcastically. "It went well at first. I actually wrote the speech, and even my brother said that it was pretty good, and he was captain of the debating league at our school. But when it came time to put my speech into action, I couldn't bring myself to say a word. I started to tremble when I saw the large crowd of parents watching me in complete silence. My legs felt weak...the colour left my face...next thing I knew, I was vomiting all over the adjudicator before I'd even had the chance to say a single word."

Trinity spluttered with laughter at the mental picture in her mind. "I take it you were allowed to quit after that?"

"I was literally thrown off the team." Neo laughed. "Much to my delight. Of course, my mother wasn't impressed, and I had to endure weeks on end of her rambling on about how worthless and pathetic I was to anyone who'd listen to her, but it was worth it." He paused, turning his head to face her. "What about you? Have any embarrassing social moments?"

Trinity paused to consider this a while, before she came up with a response. "I didn't have any friends at all...ever. I never dated, or went to parties, or to the shops, or did any of the usual teenage things. A lot of people were scared of me, which was probably why no one ever tried to befriend me. I didn't get on well with girls. They called me a bitch behind my back...that or a computer nerd...sometimes even worse. I did seem to get on well with guys, and at one stage a few were becoming close enough to befriend me. But then they ruined it by asking me to date them and well...you can probably guess how that ended up."

"Maybe if people weren't so intimidated by you, then they would have been able to see what a great person you were." Neo pondered to himself, then shook himself back into reality with a hurried apology. "Sorry, thinking out loud...again."

"It's alright." She smiled, looking away from him. This conversation must have only taken place early on in their repairing session, because Trinity remembered that she'd first been reluctant to admit any personal thoughts or feelings to him. Somehow, she must have found the courage. "But you're wrong. The situation was actually better after I When I was in primary school, I used to get teased and bullied by the other students in my grade, and by some of the older children. I never payed any attention to it...used to ignore them...used to say nothing...ironically, I pretend they didn't exist. But then one day, when I was ten and in the fourth grade, a girl named Lauren was picking on me. I couldn't take it 't stand to be treated this way anymore. Something cracked inside of me, and I started to swear at her...shout at her. She was completely taken aback and toppled over into the trash bin behind her. I started to attack her, and she ended up getting bruised up pretty bad. I was caught, and received my first ever punishment while at school. But I didn't care because I'd won. I'd beaten them. No one ever dared to pick on me again, because they knew what they'd get if they did."

Trinity brought herself back into the present time, only to hear the Council muttering senselessly to themselves and see Neo standing rigidly beside her, his face ghostly white and yet his cheeks were tinged a pale shade of green.

_If he doesn't find another boost of confidence again soon, he might vomit all over the Council, and this time the punishment would certainly be worse than just getting kicked off the debating team. _Nervously, she stretched out a hand and clutched his fingers silently under the table. Neo turned his head sharply to face her in confusion, but Trinity said nothing in reply, only clinging to his fingers even tighter.

"A little overconfident for someone who has failed to prove this yet." A Councilor stated blandly. Neo's eyes swiveled away from Trinity to the speaker- a dark man with large, fuzzy black hair.

"You must understand, Neo." The Head Councilor continued after finishing a hushed conversation with the male Councilor sitting beside her- the one who'd almost laughed when Neo had addressed the Council. "You are not the first man to stand before us and claim to be the One. And those who have stood before you have not met the standards of the tests we performed on them that followed, ending their session with us in utter disappointment."

Neo gulped. _So there will be testing me to prove that I am the One. What if I fail? What if I do something wrong and then they don't believe me? _He didn't doubt he was the One, but that didn't mean that others wouldn't doubt him. And if they were going to base his measurement of power on a simple test...

"In order to prove that you are the One, you must undergo two separate stages." The Head Councilor continued when Neo's silence was her only response. "First, you must tell us how you came to know and realize your power. Then, you must take on several medical, mental and physical tests in order to prove your abilities to us visually. If you can pass through all these stages with a highly acceptable response, then we will believe you."

_God, do they really need that much proof? _Trinity asked herself, clenching Neo's fingers even tighter. He was shifting on the spot uncomfortably, hating the mounds of unwanted attention he was receiving. She knew how much he hated this kind of situation from the stories he'd told her about his past. She wished they wouldn't do this to him...wished they would just believe him.

"Do you understand us, Neo?" Asked the fuzzy haired Councilor irritably when Neo failed to reply. Trinity scowled at him the second he turned his head.

Neo swallowed with difficulty, and for a moment, Trinity thought he really was about to vomit. But somehow, he managed to find his voice by causes unknown to her.

"Morpheus already told you what happened." Neo said boldly, finding his inner confidence once more. "Why should I need to repeat him?"

To this, the Councilors eyed him in disgust, horrified that someone should address them in this manner. Only one seemed to find this statement amusing- the same one who'd struggled to stop himself from laughing before. He actually erupted with laughter, quieting himself only when the Head Councilor gave him the evil eye.

"I like this one." Trinity overheard him whisper to the Councilor sitting to his other side. He then turned his attentions back to Neo and spoke aloud. "Indeed, we have heard the same information before. But we'd like to hear it from your own mouth, Neo. Just to make sure that the story is completely true."

Neo nodded, understanding where they were coming from but not liking the idea at all. He'd thought that since Morpheus had already told the Council his story, he wouldn't need to repeat it. Obviously he had been mistaken. Right then, his greatest fear became telling near to complete strangers about his personal life...even greater than fearing the Council's verdict. Taking comfort in Trinity's hand clutched in his own beneath the table, and the previous outburst of confidence still lurking inside of him, he slowly began to speak.

"Well; I died...as you know, w-when I was attacked by an Agent. I remember....I remember I was falling down a dark hallway, and I couldn't feel anything. Not my arms, or my legs, or the climate. Nothing....just empty. Then....then...." Neo stopped just as a random thought popped into his head. "Hey, why did you ask Trinity to see you as well?"

"We'll get to that later, Neo." Another Councilor scowled. "Please do not become unfocused and try to finish the story as quickly as possible."

"Right, well...um..." Neo rose his free arm and began to rub the back of his head. "I heard a voice breaking through the darkness. It was a voice that had guided me through everything thus far. A voice that had helped me in my battle with an Agent named Smith, and also given me strength to keep going. It was Trinity's voice. She told me that....that I needed to..."

He trailed away. How could he let them dig into his personal life and exploit the pleasant memories he held of his becoming the One? Especially when Trinity was standing right beside him and he hadn't even told her this side to the story yet. He'd never even mentioned being inside a dark hallway and hearing her voice to her before. He opened his mouth to try again, but the words wouldn't 't come. Some things were just too private to ever mention again.

_Shit. _Trinity thought quickly to herself. _If he can't bring himself to finish the story, then we have no chance of convincing the Council that he is the One. They won't believe in someone who can't even speak in public, let alone lead an entire race to greatness...unless, I...No, I can't do that! No one has ever spoken in front of the Council without being addressed, just as no has dared to address them informally until now. But it could be Neo's only hope._

"I told him that he couldn't be dead." Trinity interrupted sharply, catching Neo's eyes briefly before they fell on the stunned faces of the Council. She threw each person at the table her most threatening look, as if challenging them to stop her from speaking. None did, and she continued the story alone. "I told him that he had to be the One because...because the Oracle told him I would fall in love with the One, and that I loved him. This literally brought him back to life and uncovered his hidden potential. He deleted an Agent from the Matrix and returned to the real world just before the E.M.P was triggered to kill the sentinels that were threatening to destroy our ship."

Trinity finished, and the room erupted in stunned silence. She could feel her cheeks burning red, and beads of sweat collecting on her forehead as all eyes remained fixed upon her. She was unable to believe she'd told the Council elements of her personal life, and was privately basking in self pride in doing so. Although she had left out specific details of the tale, such as the two kisses she and Neo had shared that day.

_Some things were just too private to ever mention again._

Neo had to admit that he was impressed. He couldn't believe Trinity had been able to confess her personal experiences of the day to the Council! In a way, it was like one ordinary human killing a pack of sentinels single handedly with his bare hands...it wasn't something that was done. Trinity didn't admit to things like falling in love with him so simply. But he was also pleased that she'd saved him from having to do it.

"You are Trinity, second-in-command on board the ship, the Nebuchadnezzar captained by Captain Morpheus?" Asked the Head Councilor some time later.

"Yes, Councilor." Trinity repeated, suddenly ashamed of her misbehaviors. All sense of self pride had long since abandoned her.

Neo saw the way Trinity addressed the Council, and mentally noted that he needed to be much more formal while in their presence from now on. _So that's why the Council were giving me dirty looks! _

"May I ask what possessed you to speak out of turn, Trinity?" The Head Councilor continued. Trinity was about to reply, when a firm voice stopped her.

"I think it's perfectly clear why." Said the Councilor who'd laughed at Neo's comments, gesturing to Neo as he spoke. "The man obviously was too embarrassed to say anything more about that topic and was rendered speechless. Trinity, here, merely stepped in and finished what he had to say."

"It doesn't matter who said it anyway, it's the same information that Captain Morpheus gave us, only with much detail left out and minus the story of Cypher's betrayal and other important events." Another Councilor said with a shrug. "And because most of the Nebuchadnezzar's crew is dead and their ship destroyed, I see no evidence to disprove their story."

"I suppose that he's past the first stage, then." The Head Councilor said bitterly.

"But he still has a long way to go before he can prove he is the One." Another added. "And we must keep in mind that more than just one of our rules has been broken for the first time ever after this man was unplugged."

"Oh come now, I hardly see why our rules should matter." The kind Councilor said with a worn smile. "If Neo really is the One, then I suppose we can make acceptations in this case."

"And if he's not, Hamann?" Asked the same Councilor as before.

"Then he and the rest of his crew stands accused of all charges." Hamann said brightly. "Until we can prove that he is the One, I suggest we make no definite decisions involving his fate. The only things I believe we should discus now are both how long we plan to keep him here, and what we plan to tell the people of Zion."

"Well spoken." The Head Councilor commented. "I agree, we still need to decide what we must say to the people of Zion."

"Nothing for now, is my verdict." Hamann continued. "It is not a good idea to get their hopes up. And if Neo really is the One, then I doubt he would want swarms of people to either worship him, or to look down to him. I suggest that we tell them nothing of Neo's abilities until the right time arises, in order to make things less stressful, and everyone's lives more comfortable."

"Would you be able to live by that, Neo?" Asked a female Councilor in a soft and timid tone.

Neo nodded vigorously, glad that the attentions of Zion's population would be kept off his back for the time being. At least he wouldn't have to worry about what others thought about him...or about helping them just yet, especially since he had no idea how he was meant to bring an end to the war.

"Then I suppose it is settled." The Head Councilor concluded. "The people will be told nothing, and I suggest that the two of you ensure that nothing that has passed between us today leaves this room just yet. Neo, you will be expected to remain in Zion until you can prove that you are the One, or that you are not. The rest of your crew will have to decide if they want to leave and return for you once you've finished your tests, or if they would prefer to wait here in Zion until it is done. Whatever their decision, the Nebuchadnezzar will be given full repairs, and I have scheduled a ceremony in the main temple tonight to mourn the deaths of your fellow crewmembers. Now that all matters have been settled, this council is now adjourned."

The Head Councilor banged a gabel on the desk twice and the entire Council stood in union and exited through a small door just behind and to the right of where they were sitting. With the exception of Hamann, who approached both Neo and Trinity with a wide smile spread across his face.

"Councilor Hamann." He said, holding out a raw and wrinkled hand which Neo shook with his free one (the one that wasn't clasped with Trinity's). "I thought I should introduce myself informally to you without the presence of the other Council members."

"It's good to meet you." Neo smiled shyly, pulling his hand away when Hamann loosened his grip.

"And same to you." Hamann said, beaming brightly. "That was quite a show you put on before. I don't think anyone has ever addressed the Council so...informally. For a newbie, you certainly have guts."

"I-I'm sorry if I offended you." Neo stuttered apologetically. The last thing he wanted was to be labeled as a problem-causer when he was starting out in a new world. Although he had to admit he was partly flattered. No one had ever called him brave before.

"I thought I was giving you a compliment." Hamann said with a laugh. "But no, I don't think you offended any of us. If anything, you actually amused me. This has been the most enjoyable council we've held since I joined. People automatically assume that they need to be formal when they address the Council, although there is no written law for it. It was about time that someone realized they needn't act in that way."

"Oh, um...thank you." Neo mumbled, casting a sideways glance to Trinity who had a smile playing on the corners of her lips.

"Just want you to know that somehow, I do believe you, Neo." Hamann said seriously. "I don't know why since I've never been much of a believer in the prophecy. But there's something about you...about the way you spoke...the confidence in your voice when you firmly stated that you knew you were the One, perhaps, that set you apart from the others." He paused, completely changing his tone of voice. "And frankly I can't wait to see your test results."

He gripped hands with Neo once more before turning to exit through the door the other Councilors had used, calling over his shoulder. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Trinity knows where to find me."

After Hamann was gone, Neo let go of Trinity's hand and sunk into the chair behind him, massaging his forehead with both hands as he emitted a heavy sigh. Smiling, Trinity sat beside him, resting one elbow on the table.

"I never want to do that again." He groaned, his whole head throbbing.

"You may have to." Trinity said through a laugh. "It looks as if we'll be staying here for some time."

Neo sat up straight in his chair, looking at her in surprise. Trinity had once told him how she disliked to stay in Zion for too long because she wasn't used to the quiet and peaceful lifestyle, and how she always eagerly awaited the time in which they would depart. He had expected her to want to leave him behind in Zion and return with Morpheus and Tank once he'd finished his tests.

The tests...he already had a horrible sensation bubbling in his stomach when he thought about them. Medical tests...that would be the worst. He hated hospitals and medication even more than he hated public speaking. And what if the tests were wrong? What if he couldn't prove he was the One? Would Trinity still love him if her prophecy was wrong?

"You're not going to leave?" He managed to stammer amongst the thoughts swarming around in his head.

Trinity stared back at him in shock, amazed he would even dare to think of such a question. "You really think I'm going to leave here without you?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't." Neo grinned with relief.

Somehow, Trinity could tell he was anxious about the tests...she could read it when she looked into the depths of his warm, chestnut brown eyes. She couldn't deny she was worried as well...worried for him...worried that the stress of it all would get to him. But at least he wouldn't need to worry about publicity for the time being. That was an upside to it all.

_Yes, an upside. Positive thinking. That's what he needs me to do for him right now. He needs me to help him forget, to relax and to give him support._

"Look on the bright side of things." She said playfully.

Neo raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair again. "What's the bright side to all this?"

Trinity shrugged. "At least you didn't vomit this time."

(o)

Morpheus was waiting for them outside the Council's chambers when Trinity and Neo exited a while later. He had been leaning against the door again, but stood up straightly when he saw them, eyes wide and wondering.

"What happened?" He asked immediately.

"Well," Neo began. "They made Trinity and I tell them the whole story again but from our point of view. Then they told me that I need to undergo a series of tests to prove I was the One, and I have to remain in Zion until I can."

"That is the most preposterous thing I have ever heard." Morpheus scoffed. "They have the word of Tank, Trinity, you and I. What more proof do they need?"

"Obviously a lot more." Trinity said. "They also said that it was best not to tell the people of Zion about Neo just yet."

"I must admit, that is a good decision." Morpheus mused. "We don't want to draw anymore attention to ourselves than needed. I agree, I believe that nobody is to be told."

"Should someone find and tell Tank?" Asked Neo, not pausing to think.

At once, Morpheus and Trinity's face's fell dark. It took Neo sometime to realize why, before he remembered that Tank was most likely spending time with his grieving family, still mourning the loss of his elder brother and was again overcome with a sense of sadness.

"No, I think Tank has enough on his mind at the moment." Morpheus reasoned after a while. "I suggest we don't mention it until tomorrow."

"He won't think to bring it up, anyway." Trinity added. "He'll be too preoccupied with his family."

Morpheus nodded. "I'll see the two of you later tonight then at the ceremony in the temple."

After Morpheus had left, Trinity began to walk in the opposite direction with Neo hurrying to keep up with her long and even strides.

"Where are we going?" He asked her.

"To take a walk, I guess." Trinity said with a shrug. "The ceremony will probably take place in roughly over an hour. We have time to ourselves until then."

"Right." Neo beamed, glad that at least his meeting with the Council was over for now, and he could finally relax....at least he hoped he could.

(o)

The temple (not the main temple), was larger than Neo had even imagined it would be, and much different to the rest of Zion. The entire structure was made from clods of earth and mounds of rock with a dirt floor and not a slate of metal in sight. It was carved in the shape of a hollow cave that only deepened as it drove further into the side of the wall, creating more than enough room to easily hold over one thousand people. It was lit by a seemingly invisible source of light, and everything from the stalactites on the ceiling to the clods of wet dirt on the floors had a warm and inviting aura about it.

Right at the end of the temple, a platform had been cut into the back wall so that it was suspended above the lower floor. To the right of it was a winding staircase that led upwards, presumably to the platform. The only things stabilizing the ceiling were large rock pillars, which shorter people climbed atop and clung to in order to see over the heads of the rest of the crowd. The rest of the space in the temple was dedicated to accommodating the standing spectators of whatever ceremony or gathering was being held at the time.

"Amazing." Neo muttered to himself as he and Trinity neared the entrance to the temple roughly over an hour after their session with the Council had ended. He paused at the end of the long walkway they'd been traveling down to marvel at the sight before him, his eyes wide with awe.

The opening was cut in the shape of an archway, each line and curve of the entrance made to fit in perfect mathematical procession as the metal ended and was replaced with rock, earth and stone. Neo stood by the entrance, taking in the natural beauty of the earth against the coldness of the artificial doorframe and the path they'd just traced to reach it, while Trinity breezed past her startled companion and joined the ever-growing group of people gathering in the temple that lay beyond. Shaking himself back into reality, Neo hurried to catch up with her, pushing past the groups of well dressed Zionists until they found a decent spot directly beside one of the rock pillars towards the back.

The temple must have held a good few hundred people, but obviously not enough to take up the entire area. Looking around him, Neo saw that each person had dressed respectively in long flowing robes (some with headdresses) in dull and colorless shades- almost as if it was a sign of respect. Bringing his eyes back to Trinity only to see her leaning against the pillar, her face bland and empty of all emotion, he noticed that since neither of them had changed clothes since their meeting with the Council, she bore the most skin out of everyone in the entire room.

From a small, offside platform to the left of the main one, a band dressed in robes of purest black began to play sad and sorrowful tunes on instruments Neo hadn't seen heard of before, though some had vague resemblance to things he'd seen in the Matrix. The music ushered the chattering crowds into silence as a dozen or so priestesses, priests, and even a couple of Councilors ascended onto the main platform. Five priestesses carried a single silver jug each and tenderly placed it at the edge of the platform, then stood back to join the rest.

"What are they?" Neo whispered in Trinity's ear, gesturing to the jugs in front of him.

Trinity said nothing, staring directly ahead of her and using the pillar beside her for support. It felt as if someone had poured cement down her throat, making it feel rough and heavy and taking away her ability to speak. Somehow, she managed to find her voice.

"They hold the ashes." She whispered back hoarsely, not taking her eyes away from the scene in front of her. "The burial ground in Zion was growing far too large, so the Council decided that the bodies of every deceased person must be burnt immediately upon arriving in Zion from now on."

Neo didn't reply, knowing he wouldn't need to. There were plenty more things he wanted to ask Trinity about the ceremony...about the other people gathered in the temple and how they knew or were related to the rest of the crew...if any of the women were Gina...who was the family of Tank and Dozer. But when he heard the tone in her voice, the scratchiness in the back of her throat that hadn't been there before, he knew that it was best to have complete silence. She needed to be left alone.

"Tonight, we gather here to mourn the deaths of four of the greatest soldiers fighting in the resistance." Neo jumped, having been far too preoccupied with Trinity to realize that the ceremony had began now that Hamann stood before the crowd, directly in front of the jugs. "Dozer, Switch, Apoc and Mouse each fought bravely and diligently to bring and end to this war and peace to our people. I am sure that they shall be missed by each and every one of us, and their legacies will live on in our hearts."

Neo noted that Hamman failed to list Cypher's name in his speech, nor did he fail to see that there were in fact, five jugs upon the table and not four, even if only four names were mentioned. Hamman stepped aside and his position was replaced by a priest, who held his hands out over the jugs and placed blessings upon them, while each person bowed their heads in silent grieving.

Losing interest in all that was happening, yet overcome by a sense of depression, Neo let his eyes wonder between the people to see that quite a few of them were crying softly to themselves, including two young women who stood right at the front of the temple beside two men and two children. He recognized one of the men as Tank, and figured that the rest must be his family, and his heart clenched in his chest when he caught sight of the two children standing with them, tears leaking down their cheeks.

Another person who caught Neo's attentions was Dwayne. He was standing alone somewhere amidst the crowd, with arms as wide, beefy and pink as hams folded across his chest. His face was a brilliant shade of red, and he was puffing heavily again. Only this time it obviously wasn't because he'd recently ran a long way. It was most likely because Hamann hadn't made mention to his best friend during the opening speech.

Suddenly, he heard a stifled sob beside him and turned sharply to his side. Trinity appeared to have not moved since he last set eyes on her, remaining as still as a statue. Only now, fine drops of clear watered tears were clinging to her long and delicate eyelashes, and her face was a paler white than what it had been when she first came in. He could tell that she was struggling and almost failing to keep her emotions hidden....knew that what Hamann and the priest were saying must mean so much more to her than what it did to him...knew that the rest of the crew were people she'd spent the eleven years of her life in the real world working with, and some she'd even known since the day they were unplugged. And all at once, he knew exactly what he needed to do.

Trinity tried to drown out the words of the priest. They were just stupid chants and blessings...they couldn't hurt her. Couldn't scrape through the chains she built around her heart and crack open the lock that she had thought only Neo could unlock. But if this was so, then why were the rims around her eyes so wet? Why did it feel as if her heart had risen into her throat and stuck there with cement? What the hell was happening to her? Flashbacks of her time spent with each separate crewmember sprung into her mind...the day Dozer had told her cryptically that he'd noticed something between her and Neo...the day Apoc and Mouse shared their first argument in the car on the way to unplugging the younger solider...the day she really pissed off Cypher when she landed on top of Neo in the Mess Hall (at least that was one happy thought)...the day Switch came into her room and comforted her after Neo missed his first jump...

_No...I can't cry...I couldn't- wouldn't...I won't..._Before Trinity could argue with herself inside her head any longer, she felt warm fingertips on her bare shoulder and turned sharply to see Neo standing beside her, watching her with concern. At first, she was so surprised by his sudden movement that she made no effort to hide her tears. It wasn't until after he had a proper chance to see each fine teardrop clinging to her long, dark lashes that she brought her free arm to her face to wipe them away. Neo grasped her wrist with his other hand, stopping her. Carefully, and without saying a single word, he slipped the hand resting on her shoulder round the back of her neck and let it find rest on the other one, so he pulled her against him tightly.

Too weak and emotional to protest (and figuring that everyone else was far too preoccupied with what was happening on the platform to notice them since they were standing towards the back), Trinity allowed him to pull her against his chest until she could smell his now familiar scent, and feel the soft material of his loose and flimsy cotton powder blue shirt on her cheek. His firm arms held her against him, and she silently thanked him for not breaking the silence between them, because she didn't at all feel in the mood for conversing now. Instead, he seemed to be able to give her comfort in a way she couldn't explain...like his mere presence was easing away the pain in her heart.

Finally the ceremony ended, and Trinity pulled away from Neo hurriedly before anyone could turn their heads. Taking his hand in hers and pulling him after her, the pair of them were the first to leave the temple. Neither took time to notice nor care that Dwayne had been watching their every movement during the ceremony, and saw Neo leave with nothing but bitter loathing lingering in his heart.

(o)

Trinity still wasn't feeling herself by the time they arrived in their room again. Frankly, she felt as if all she really needed was plenty of time alone...time to allow herself to let her heart become unlocked so she could fall down upon her bed and burst into a fit of tears and anger. But she wouldn't even think of doing so in front of Neo.

_Why not? I was crying in front of him in the temple, wasn't I? _She asked herself, pulling open the door to their room and leaving it open for Neo to follow. _But that was unintentionally, and I didn't actually brake down into a fit of emotions._

As much as she felt the need to be alone, she knew that this was Neo's room too, and therefore she couldn't just tell him to get out and leave her alone. Instead, she sat down on the edge of the bed and looked up into his eyes.

He stood in the middle of the room, watching her. Just watching her with those warm, penetrating dark eyes of his that so easily tear her apart. It made her nervous...made her wonder if he was planning to try anything. And as much as she adored the way he would stare at her- his chalk white skin and short spikes of messy dark hair against the soft blue of his disheveled cotton clothes- she obviously wasn't in the mood to even consider a more 'intimate' situation between them occurring this night. Even if this idea had been poisoning her mind for some time; and making her wonder just where their relationship was leading.

Neo, however, was still not even daring to think about anything of the sort. He was merely watching her out of confusion, wondering both if she was feeling alright, and if so, what they could do to pass the time. He had to admit that after experiencing the shock of seeing Zion for the first time, and then of finally hearing the long awaited verdict of the Council only to find that they would not be separating him from Trinity (he was trying very hard not to think about tests for the time being), his body had been left physically exhausted. But he certainly wasn't mentally exhausted enough not to notice just how stunningly beautiful Trinity looked- still clothed in her tan coloured, halter neck Zionist gown with soft kinks in her ebony hair. At this time, both she and the bed looked incredibly inviting.

"Um....do you mind if I use the bathroom?" He asked meekly, gesturing to the bathroom door as he spoke.

Trinity shook her head, trying to force a smile that just wouldn't come. This did not slip Neo's attention and all at once, his face filled with both concern and uncertainty.

"Are you going to be alright?" He asked her quietly, taking half a step towards her. For a moment, he almost thought she was about to say that she wouldn't be, because her lips parted ever so slightly as if they were trying to form the word 'no'. But at the same time, both remembered that acting in this way simply wasn't her style or her character.

"I'm fine." She lied, this time managing to conjure up a small and feeble smile. Not entirely convinced, Neo left the room as slowly as possible, closing the bathroom door with a gentle click.

Once she was alone, Trinity neither moved nor uttered a single sound, still fearing that he may be able to hear her sobs through the metal of the surrounding walls, floors and doors. Although she couldn't deny that she wanted to cry, or even to punch something just to get her frustration out, maybe even just to think about those she had lost.

_No...I can't...he'll hear me cry...and I already nearly did brake down in front of him once, and I don't plan to ever let that happen again. _She knew she shouldn't bar herself from him and keep all her emotions hidden underneath her skin. But she had never been an open person and didn't intend on starting to do so now. Letting hints slip every now and then was fine, and releasing the more feminine side of herself (the one only he could provoke from her) was something she had decided to allow to happen every now and then. But she didn't want to turn weak overnight and let her emotions take control of her all the time. That was how she would loose her reputation, and her power. These were the two things she held sacred above all else, even Neo himself.

Slowly, her mind began to drift back to the ceremony held today. She had attended many similar ceremonies over time, but this one had been different. She had never expected to loose so many people at once, and all in the one day....and to loose Switch, one of her two closest friends. Her only female companion...the person she'd befriended since the day of Switch's unplugging. Together they had seen and dealt with so many things, from Amos's death to Neo's unplugging. Switch had been there through it all...and the saddest thing was that she never once completely opened up to her...never once told her how much she cared.

(o)

When Neo came out of the bathroom scarcely a few minutes later, the last thing he expected to see was Trinity sitting on the edge of their bed with tears streaking down her cheeks. He almost fell backwards into the bathroom when he saw her- hands resting limply by either side of her hips, feet steady on the floor and her back straight and well postured. Yet with silvery tears rolling down flushed cheeks, dripping from her icy blue eyes and blending with her matted hair, sticking it to her face.

_Now that's something I thought I never would see. _He thought to himself. _Sure, a few tears in the corners of her eyes during the ceremony was expected...but literally bawling uncontrollably right in front of me? Surely, this can't be the Trinity I've come to know and love._

Although her sobs were muffled and quiet, she failed to notice Neo until he drew close to the bed, sinking down onto it directly beside her. She looked up at him, startled, and hurriedly tried to push the hair out of her face and wipe the tears from her eyes. But each time she wiped them away, fresh drops would leak out of the corners of her eyes and trail down her cheeks, eventually falling onto her lap.

For a while, Neo sat stiffly beside her, unsure of what to do. He hated seeing her like this...hated to see someone so strong, powerful, determined and self-assured as nothing more than a weak and blubbering mess before him. She was always the one who knew how to handle this sort of situation, not him. But now it seemed as if it had rested upon his shoulders to bring comfort to her again.

Carefully, he stretched out an arm and brought it to her cheek, tracing his finger across her cheekbone until he collected a single teardrop. She blinked at him confusedly, watching as he took his wet finger to his own face and placed the teardrop on his own cheek instead. The tear tickled his skin, and felt salty when it brushed against his lips.

He then wrapped the same arm around her bare shoulders, drawing her close to him and finding that she welcomed the support. She rested her head against the edge of his shoulder, her tears dripping down and staining his powder blue shirt. To Neo, she felt so weak....so light....so feeble, hardly anything like Trinity at all. In fact, if he had seen her like this a few weeks ago, he most definitely wouldn't have recognized her. Yet at the same time, the skin on her shoulders felt incredibly soft...almost like the skin of a baby's. Slowly, he began to rock from side to side, bringing her with him as he did so and hoping that this would somehow manage to calm her, and stop her body from heaving with the effort of containing rasping sobs.

The moment she felt his firm arms around her shoulders, her body began to relax. He pulled her close to him, allowing her to cry on his shoulder as he rocked her gently from side to side. Too depressed and enjoying the sensations she was receiving in return too much to pull away, she merely waited for her pulse to slow and her eyes to run dry. Leaving her with stale eyes, rasping breaths and a blotchy face.

"You wanna talk?" He whispered softly once she'd stopped crying. He stopped rocking her, but did not take his arms away from her, mainly because her body felt too feeble against his to be in any condition to hold itself up.

Trinity sniffed, shaking her head and raising a limp arm to frantically rub at her eyes, only increasing the red rims around them. Neo didn't see this, but felt her head move against him and therefore knew her reply.

"It's about them, isn't it? The others." He stopped himself, remembering that she didn't want to talk about it. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that question."

"It's alright." She whispered back, her voice hoarse from crying. "You're right, anyway."

Neo sighed, bending to place a tender kiss on the top of her head. He now realized just how terrible she must have felt throughout the past month- carrying all this mental stress and emotion locked away in her heart and never once letting it slip because she was afraid of damaging her reputation. But now because of this, all the emotions and feelings she had kept bottled up inside of her had come flowing out all at once by something as simple as the burial ceremony for the rest of the crew.

"Trinity, listen to me." He said, suddenly speaking sternly. "You can't keep everything hidden inside you forever. If you hold all your emotions inside of you and never find a way to express them, and only push them further and further away whenever they threaten to surface, then eventually they're going to burst out in an inward explosion of different feelings and sensations you won't be able to control- like what happened just now. That's why it's important for you to just...let yourself go every now and then. If you don't, you could end up causing yourself serious inward damage."

He paused to let his words sink in, and Trinity realized that he was right. She had a reputation to uphold, and she didn't want to abuse that by letting her feelings take control of her. That just wasn't what she did. But because she only pushed them deeper and deeper into her heart, a simple act or offset could cause her to loose control, and the emotions would come flooding out all at once, causing her to experience some sort of mental breakdown.

_But how can I find a time just to let myself be free to feel? When will there ever be a time were I won't have to worry about keeping my reputation and still let my emotions be exposed?_

"Just remember," Neo continued, as if he knew exactly what was going on inside her mind. "If you ever need someone to talk to...ever need someone who you can take your feelings out on...even anger if you want to...just come to me, ok? By telling me how you feel, you're not going to hurt or damage your reputation in any way. I mean, come on. Do you really think I'd just walk off and tell someone else about our own private conversations?"

Trinity let out a single breath of laughter, muffled by his shirt. Neo smiled, glad that he'd managed to make her feel better and also pleased that she'd understood what he'd been trying to tell her. Now that this had been settled, he was suddenly reminded of just how tired he was, and knew from the feel of Trinity's body that she felt the same.

"Trin?" He asked.

"Mmmm?" She said absent mindedly, enjoying being held in his arms.

"You want to get some sleep?"

She nodded, and once again, he felt her head move against his shoulder. He took his arms away from her and stood, allowing her to follow suit. He watched as she pulled back the flimsy white satin sheets while pulling off his shirt and letting it drop to the floor before sliding into the bed. She crossed to the closet to collect a change of clothes, and then made her way to the bathroom, and finally back to the bed, eventually lowering herself in beside him dressed in the black under-shirt and underwear she wore to bed on board the ship.

No words past between them, but both somehow felt that the situation was not suitable for sleeping in their usual position. Things felt much more intimate...much closer than they had been before. Instead, Trinity pressed her heavy head up against his bare chest, shuffling so that her body was drawn closer to his own. Neo let out a squeak of surprise, not having expected her to do this, but nevertheless wrapped both arms around her, drawing her in closer to him until they fell asleep.

(o)

A/N: I'm kind of having an off day. Something happened between a friend and I that made me really upset, and my dad is threatening to take me out of the school I love and move me into a crapper, cheaper place because he thinks it is a waste of money. To top it all off, exams are coming up and I have hardly studied at all! Some reviews would really help to make me feel better- especially some nice ones :)

Thanks for reading, please review!


	19. Testing

19

Trinity was almost certain that she would have continued to lie in Neo's arms for an eternity if it hadn't been for the fierce rapping on the front door sometime in the early hours of the morning the following day. Groaning and shifting slightly in amongst the bed sheets, she was surprised to find herself lying on her left side and pressed up against the firm muscles of Neo's chest, having not yet fully become accustomed to waking up beside him.

The rapping on the door grew louder, alerting her attentions back to what had awoken her in the first place. Beside her, she felt Neo's hot breath upon her neck suddenly slow and draw back as he stirred in a broken sleep. Hurriedly, she wriggled out of his firm arms and dropped out of the bed, moving towards the door and tugging the dress she'd tossed to the floor the previous night over her black underwear and under-shirt.

She reached the door and wrenched it open quickly, only to come face-to-face with a smirking Dwayne. She scowled. This certainly wasn't the first time he'd decided to pay her an early morning visit.

"What the hell do you want?" She muttered, her forehead creasing into frown lines.

"You." He growled, quirking a pair of uneven, tawny and bushy eyebrows seductively.

"For once, could you please get straight to the point?" She demanded bitterly, struggling not to raise her voice, lest she wake the already disturbed Neo.

"Easy, easy." He defended, holding up a set of large, sweaty palms in protest. "I can take a hint. You're obviously not interested."

"Damn straight." She muttered under her breath.

"No need to be so rude about it." Dwayne smirked. "Anyway, I came to give a message to your little lover boy."

"So now you're a messenger boy?" Trinity scoffed. "I didn't think you'd ever sink that low."

"Well sorry for existing." Dwayne boomed, much to Trinity's annoyance. "_Some _people aren't as attractive and well-off as that little pretty boy you've got yourself in there."

"Some people actually _work_ for what they get." Trinity rebutted, but continued quickly before he could refute. "What's the message, Dwayne?"

"The Council brings word that he's got three hours to get himself to Zion's hospital." Dwayne replied coolly, choosing to ignore her previous comment. This struck Trinity as odd, since she had expected him to retort as he always did. But because she was desperate to rid herself of him, she decided to let this slide.

"Fine." She answered sullenly. "Now get lost."

"Anything for a lady." Dwayne posed in a bow mockfully. "Of course, you're not really much of a lady now, are you?"

Trinity said nothing, but slammed the door in his face as sharply as possible before retreating back to her bed where Neo now lay awake, staring absent mindedly up at the roof of the bed cave.

"Who was that?" He asked tiredly, rolling his head to the side to face her the moment he sensed her presence. When she saw the dark rings circling his eyes standing out against his pale skin, she was instantly reminded of the time he informed her that he was not a morning person.

"Dwayne." She shrugged, folding her arms across her chest as she watched his face darken automatically at the mere mention of the name. "He brought a message from the Council. You need to be at the hospital in three hours."

"It's too early." He complained, much to Trinity's amusement.

"It's not as early as you think it is." Trinity smiled. "I'd say it's around 9am, Matrix time. But I could be wrong. It's always so hard to tell the time in the real world, since we don't actually have a time system of our own. We've always relied on the Matrix."

"I've always dreamed of living in a world without time." Neo grinned as a lame thought bounced into his mind. Having had only just woken up to the sounds of a loud and booming voice rambling senselessly outside his door, he was still groggy with sleep and didn't even give the upcoming and unavoidable trip to the hospital a second thought. The only words he took notice of were time, 9am, and (most importantly) three hours.

"Well, we have three hours." Neo mused, still upholding a sheepish grin. "How do you suppose we pass the time?"

As if she knew exactly what was on his mind, Trinity perched delicately on the edge of the bed with a quivering smile spread across her face...almost as if she was nervous of something. Although at the time, Neo couldn't see why she should be. He was yet to even consider making love to her as a possibility.

Trinity was silent as she sat stiffly on the edge of the bed near his waist area, facing him and not knowing what his intentions would be. _No, he understands that it's too early...and far too early in the morning, come to think of it...he wouldn't even think of doing something like that...would he? But then again, the last comment he made could have really meant anything...and the tone he said it in was far too bland to tell me anything..._

Her train of thought was broken suddenly when she felt warm fingers press against the skin of her right arm (the one closest to the bed) and trace lightly over both metal and flesh. She stared downwards, her eyes following the fingers back to his fragile arm that still obviously needed to feel the burden of more work before it could be brought back to the strength of the average male human, until her gaze fell upon a bare chest. She allowed her eyes to linger there for a moment...taking in the fine ripples of the muscles that were still to form properly, but were definitely supremely strong for someone who had been unplugged scarcely a month ago.

Finally, her eyes traveled to his head, which was lying amongst a mound of soft and inviting plump pillows. The bristles of upstanding, deep brown coloured hair stood out vibrantly against the pallid white of the pillows, where as his pasty skin blended with the shade well, but not so well that she couldn't see the fine outlines of his body when compared to the artificial white. His face was passive and relaxed, but his lips were parted ever so slightly, and his coffee coloured eyes shimmered with lust and awe.

Suddenly, she became aware of the fact that his fingers were still grazing the skin of her right arm, and his entire body was on a minor tilt so he could do so. She couldn't help but realize just how innocent he appeared...how small and weak he seemed to be when resting upon her bed with the flimsy white sheets tucked around his waist....and if she hadn't believed he was the One as much as she believed she loved him, she wouldn't have thought that he could ever be capable of saving an entire race.

Neo didn't know what force had made him touch her arm. He supposed it was a combination of both the fact that her delicate and sunless skin was far too beautiful _not _to touch, and the fact that he knew (or at least hoped) that she would not protest after all they'd been through together thus far. Whatever the cause, he couldn't deny that the softness of her cold skin against his fingers was pleasurable, nor could he deny that he loved the way her eyes would pour into his when she stared down upon him...so beautiful and meaningful.

Neither knew how long they stayed this way. Sitting in complete silence and simply enjoying the sensations they were receiving in exchange for Neo's soft touches. But eventually, Trinity found herself unable to resist simply sitting there and watching him much longer. Slowly and instinctively, she lowered herself towards him and felt the hand that had been stroking her arm find its way to her hip, only drawing her closer so she could press her lips into his own.

He pulled her forwards until she lay beside him atop the sheets. He then rolled onto his side so he could face her and saw that her she had somehow managed to be positioned much higher up the pillows than his was, so he had to strain his neck in order to meet with her trenchant, crystal blue eyes, but not so high that he couldn't continue to kiss her, which suited both of them well.

Each kiss was heavy and strong, and laced with desire and passion. But perhaps Trinity found it a little too strong considering she was in a different frame of mind to Neo and was afraid of where this may lead. Nevertheless, she couldn't find the power or the will to stop him. Soon enough, she managed to force herself to move upwards until he could no longer kiss her, so that her head was now resting upon the topmost cushion on the bed. Unfortunately for her, her hips were now directly at his eye level, and she immediately became conscious of something as trivial as the fact that her dress had risen up her legs, leaving everything up to midway between her thighs exposed. The dress was now creased and tousled against her body, and she was therefore silently thankful that she was still wearing her under-shirt beneath it. Otherwise more skin she'd rather _not_ reveal yet would be exposed.

Neo closed his eyes softly, and slowly bent his head, nestling against the pillows. Trinity's fingers were now toying with the short strands of hair atop his head, lightly massaging his scalp. For a brief moment, he even took the time to wonder what had happened to the old Trinity, and if she still was lying inside this figure of feminity, only to be unmasked the split second they exited through the front door. But when he breathed in the scent of her heated skin...skin that had been so cold just before...he realized that all that mattered to him was the Trinity before him now.

_Life doesn't get any better than this. _He concluded as a smile spread across his lips. _There isn't anywhere else I'd rather be right now...nothing else I want right now other than her. If I could, I'd stay here forever._

He shifted so he could press his cheek against her stomach, wrapping an arm around her legs as he did so. Trinity smiled, subconsciously fingering threads of his hair between her fingers and trying to decide what others (namely Dwayne) would think if they walked in on them right then.

_Hell, who cares? _She thought gleefully to herself. _Why am I thinking about anyone else at a time like this? Everyone else can get stuffed for all I care...all that matters is now._

She suddenly thought of something she needed to say. Something she desperately wanted him to know. Something she felt he deserved to hear.

"N-Neo?" She whispered in a voice that wasn't her own. It was broken...touched by desire. And the situation wasn't improving thanks to his arm, that was still hugging her legs.

Neo's eyes sprung open, and he tilted his head upwards to look at her with concern, naïve enough to worry that the tone in her voice could mean that something was wrong.

"What is it?" He whispered softly.

She paused, ashamed of what he may think of the character of her voice. Her hand came to rest in amongst his hair, and suddenly her manner changed from lustful to sincere in the blink of an eye.

"Thank you." She whispered, relieved to see that her voice was back to normal.

"For what?" He asked in confusion, still not taking his eyes away from hers.

"For yesterday." She continued rather uneasily. "For...what you did in the temple and afterwards....For everything."

_She's the one I should be thanking. _Neo thought to himself. _Without her, I would be nothing._

"You're welcome." He beamed, lowering his head back against her stomach before he spoke again. "I don't know about you, but I kind of feel hungry."

"Me too." Trinity admitted, shifting Neo's weight so she could sit up properly and turn to face him. "Do you want breakfast?"

Neo heaved himself into a sitting position beside her, turning his head to face her as she did the same. He nodded, smiling as she continued.

"We can either stay here and make something." Trinity gestured to the small, offside kitchenette. "Or we can go and find somewhere to eat. Since I'm not much of a cook, and since you used to live on takeout in the Matrix, I suggest we take the second option."

"I'd have to agree with you there." Neo said playfully. "Somehow the mental image of you slaving over a hot stove doesn't exactly fit into reality."

Trinity smiled in reply before scooting out of bed and taking a fresh set of clothes from the closet on her way to the bathroom, leaving Neo to get himself out of bed and changed.

(o)

"What is this place?" Neo whispered in Trinity's ear when she led him into a large, rectangular, metallic room filled with identically sized picnic tables, benches and clusters of people gathered around each one.

"It's similar to the Mess Hall on board the Neb." Trinity explained. "All the children from the orphanage and the academy needed somewhere to eat, so a room like this one was created. But soon, it was flocked with those who were too old to cook, large families who want a break, and people like me who have no idea how to cook and see it as a pointless waste of time and just want a free meal." She paused to admire the smile on his face. "Eventually, rooms like this one became so popular that they were built on every level. Now almost everyone comes here to eat."

She swerved between the rows of tables in search of a familiar face, carefully avoiding a group of young children who scurried by. Neo hurried behind her, questioning her in a voice barely heard above the surrounding chatter of the few hundred peoples who occupied the tables.

"So what do you call this room, exactly?" Neo asked out of sheer curiosity.

"It doesn't have a specific name." Trinity replied without bothering to look over her shoulder. "But if you call it the Food Hall, people generally are able to understand what you're talking about."

"Is it free?" Neo pondered, wondering what sort of currency the people of Zion used.

"Everything in Zion is free." Trinity stopped walking abruptly to properly scan the tables. "The Council decided many years ago that the only way we can win the war is if we work together. That is why they ask that every man and woman in Zion work diligently and share their talent with everyone else, so that essentials can be distributed between everyone evenly. It's how we've managed to survive, and without having to worry about money problems."

The conversation came to an immediate halt the instant a known voice hollered to them from across the Food Hall. Both Trinity and Neo turned sharply to meet eyes with Tank, beaming brightly and waving frantically from only a few tables away.

It struck Neo as odd that someone who had just attended the funeral of their older brother the previous day should be so cheerful. He knew that he certainly would have been cheerful if _his _older brother had died when he was still plugged into the Matrix. But of course, things were much different between Tank and Dozer. They had been real brothers, with a proper relationship. He couldn't see how Tank could manage to act as if nothing was wrong.

Trinity, on the other hand, knew better. She could tell that the pretence Tank upheld of being the character that he was, was nothing more than a mask to hide his inner turmoil for the sake of the family that sat around him at his table. But she had to admit that his logic was working seeing as their wasn't a single dull expression imprinted onto the faces of the surrounding people.

"Come on." She instructed, leading the way to Tank's table. Neo stood stiffly in place, watching as she strode towards the table. She was dressed in an off-mauve, midriff shirt that cut in a 'V' shape down the front, revealing the very tops of her breasts and a pastel, flat stomach. To accompany this, she'd worn a buff coloured short skirt, ending midway down her thighs.

Feeling his eyes upon her, Trinity turned to stare at him quizzically. Neo waited until he made certain that a clear imprint of the way she was dressed right then was lodged into his mind before he continued to follow her. He figured that Trinity dressed in this fashion on an incredibly rare occasion, and wanted to ensure that he remembered every detail of the way she looked in a mini skirt.

"Morning." Tank said brightly as Trinity squeezed onto the end of one of the benches at the table beside him, tugging Neo onto the one opposite so that he sat directly in front of her, alongside a woman in a flowing white robe, with dark coils of hair tied loosely behind her head who was struggling to keep two children in line.

"Suppose I better introduce everyone then, huh?" Tank said, staring directly at Neo as he spoke. Neo was shifting his gaze between the other occupants of the table, and recognized each person from the temple gathering last night.

"This, here is my baby sister, Zee." Tank explained, squeezing the shoulders of the medium height, dark skinned woman sitting beside him. She had an elegant figure, and heavy eyelids, with long lashes that framed eyes similar in colour and tone to Tank's, although perhaps not as vibrant. Like most people in Zion, she had long streams of hair that she had allowed to grow out of control, spilling down her back in a mass of raven curls. She dressed in a white tank top that was, perhaps, two sizes to small for her, and rather dirty, like the ripped shorts she wore to accompany it.

"And this is Link." He nodded to the man sitting on Zee's other side. He was taller than both Tank and Neo, with dark dread locks tied together behind his dark ears. He dressed in a beige singlet shirt and baggy jade pants, an outfit almost identical to the one Tank wore. "Zee's husband."

"Hi".

"Oh, and the exquisitely beautiful young woman sitting beside you is my lovely sister-in-law, Cas, and her two charming kids, Effa and Sef."

Neo turned his head to take a closer look at Cas, only to see that her dark eyes were rimed with red, as if she'd been crying too hard for too long. Yet there was a fine and delicate smile quivering on her lips, as she nodded in greeting to him. Neo smiled in return to both the mother and her two children, being conquered with a sense of misery once more.

Cas and Dozer's children were younger than he thought. Both boy and girl wouldn't have been much older than six, and because Dozer would have often been away working on the ship, neither must have had enough time to really get to know their father. But that still didn't justify what happened. No child should have to grow up without parents.

"Who's this?" Zee asked impertinently, fixing Trinity with a penetrating stare. There was something about her that didn't make Neo feel too welcomed at that table.

"This is Neo." Trinity scowled in reply. But she was interrupted before she could say much more.

"You mean Neo? As in....the One?" Link asked in disbelief, his eyes bulging with awe. His voice may have been a touch too loud because it alerted the people sitting at the table beside them. Neo glanced worriedly across the room to a teenage girl who was gawking at him and shot her a smile. The girl raised a fine eyebrow, but eventually turned her back nevertheless.

"How does he know?" Trinity shot angrily in Tank's direction. "What did you tell them?"

"Well....I had to say _something_." Tank defended. "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to say anything."

"That's right, he couldn't have known." Neo added softly, not wanting to draw much attention to himself.

Trinity shot Tank a look of disapproval, but said nothing, knowing that Neo was right. They had, indeed, chosen not to tell Tank about the Council's verdict until after the burial ceremony, and therefore he couldn't blame Tank for telling his family.

_Who are they going to tell, anyway? _Trinity reasoned to comfort herself. _Besides, Tank's family has a right to know that Dozer died fighting for a good cause. I can't see any harm in this...as long as word doesn't spread..._

"And you've only told the people sitting at this table?" Trinity questioned.

Tank nodded. "I really don't understand why I shouldn't."

"The Council gave Neo and I specific orders to keep the rest of the population of Zion from knowing about anything that happened on board our ship for now. It was decided that this should be done for Neo's benefit....and also because they didn't want to get the people's hopes up." Trinity added the last sentence fragment darkly, as if it was the most absurd thing she'd ever heard of (mostly because it was). She saw no reason for any other to doubt that Neo was the One - but this didn't mean that she was not pleased that the Council would allow Neo to have the privacy he deserved without being bombarded with worshipers for the time being.

"Well gee, I'm sorry. Won't happen again." Tank continued brightly. "Here, have something to eat." Tank gestured to the table. Neo noticed that an assortment of different foods had been spread out in front of him, and it looked much more appetizing than what he received on the Nebuchadnezzar. He ate quickly in an attempt to eat as much as possible before he had to face his tests.

The tests...he'd forgotten about them until now. After waking up in a plentiful room in the last city of mankind with Trinity, then being taken to a large cafeteria type structure to be fed large amounts of food he wouldn't be able to sample anywhere else, as well as being introduced to several new people, his upcoming visit to the hospital had completely slipped his mind. Once again, fear consumed him at the very idea, although perhaps it had subsided somewhat since he'd seen the Council. At least he now knew that he would have Trinity beside him through everything that was to happen.

"So I take it that we're not leaving for some time, then?" Tank asked when silence consumed the table.

Trinity looked up from her plate and nodded. "At least not until Neo's finished his tests."

"What tests?"

"Tests to prove I'm the One." Neo mumbled as a lump of food caught in his throat.

"Aw, you'll ace them." Tank said comfortingly, tasting the fear in the other man's voice. "Neo, if you're the One, then you have absolutely nothing to worry about...right?"

"Right." Neo said after he paused to consider this. Even so, he still couldn't help but worry that the tests could be inaccurate, and not enough to prove that he was the One.

"The Council gave us a choice." Trinity continued, now speaking to each person at the table. "Tank, you, Morpheus and I can either leave Zion once the ship is repaired and return for Neo later, or remain here until Neo is finished."

"Let me guess, you want to stay." Tank stated, to which Trinity nodded curtly after a brief pause. "Well, it suits me fine. Wanted to spend as much time with the family as possible anyway."

He turned to face the two younger children, who were gazing between the adults and looking a bit lost. They now stared into the eyes of their uncle, blinking in confusion.

"Looks like I'm gonna stick around for a little while longer than I thought I would, kids." He grinned, before addressing the rest of his family. "That is, if you all can put up with me."

Both Trinity and Neo didn't fail to notice the way the faces of Tank's surrounding family seemed to brighten, and realized just how much his positive, carefree and loving presence meant to them in a time of need.

(o)

Neo never wanted breakfast to end. Even though he spent the entire meal enduring long and darkened glares the same teenage girl shot at him continually from the table beside theirs, and the fact that he didn't know Tank's family as well as Trinity did made him feel out of place and ill at ease at the table. But nothing could be as daunting or as terrible as the tests that awaited him once the meal was done.

But as Smith had once told him, it was impossible to deny the inevitable. He couldn't stop time...and sooner or later, he'd have to face his fears.

He didn't know why hospitals bothered him so much. Perhaps it had something to do with the time his father had a heart attack while he was using the bathroom, and had to be taken straight into intensive care and Neo had been confronted with the bloody body of a teenager who had been drink driving.

But when he thought about it, it seemed trivial for him to be so afraid of something so insignificant. After all, he'd already faced so much after his unplugging, and so therefore paying a visit to a hospital shouldn't bother him. He figured that what he really should be worried about was the test results, and not actually taking them. But even so, he felt as if Trinity was leading him to the gallows when he stood to follow her out of the Food Hall sometime later.

"Tank's family seemed pretty happy to me." Neo said, choosing to converse with Trinity about something completely off topic to calm his nerves. "You wouldn't have thought that they'd just lost someone."

"Tank has that effect on people." Trinity said with a shrug as she slowed her pace so she could walk beside her. "He always manages to put you in a good mood, no matter what the situation is."

"Oh." Neo mumbled. _I wish I knew how to do that for Trinity..._

"Here we are." Trinity announced when they reached a large entrance to a giant room. She felt Neo tense beside her and shot him a sideways glance. "You nervous?"

"A little." He admitted. "I've....I mean, I never really liked hospitals all that much. Usually try to avoid them if I can."

_Funny, I thought he'd be more worried about the tests than the hospital. After being unplugged, people often seem to forget their fears. I know from my own personal experience that after you overcome the shock of being unplugged, you feel invincible because you know that now you've overcome something so horrifying, you can face anything. It should be even more so in Neo's case, since he is the One._

She took his hand in her own, squeezing it gently and interlacing their fingers. "It'll be alright. I promise."

"I know it will be." Neo smiled, clasping her hand even tighter.

"Come on." Trinity smiled in reply, jerking her head towards the entrance. "We better go."

(o)

The hospital was made up of white metal, giving the entire structure a brilliant, angelic glare about it. Like the Food Hall, it was rectangular in shape, although the main foyer was square and filled with aggravated Zionists queuing in front of a long, glittering white desk. Behind the desk stood lines of white clad nurses trying to organize themselves and others.

It did not surprise Neo that Trinity seemed to know this area of Zion like she knew the back of her hand. He had supposed this was a place she'd spent more than enough time, either staying here herself or visiting others. This theory was only further confirmed when he realized that she knew the name of every nurse standing behind the front desk, just as they knew hers.

"Wait here." She instructed, before loosening her hold on his hand. She crossed the room and tapped a nurse on the shoulder, engaging in a hushed conversation with her before turning and pointing to Neo. The nurse, an elderly woman with long silvery hair dripping over her shoulders and a withered, wrinkled face, strode across the room to him immediately.

"I'm the Matron." She said in a strong and commanding voice, almost equivalent to the strength in Trinity's voice when she addressed anyone other than himself. "The Council has entrusted me with the task of appointing a trustworthy staff member to take you through several medical tests before the end of the day. If you would be so kind as to follow me, we can get started."

Neo was hesitant. There was something about the Matron that made him uneasy, and he would much rather remain in the foyer than follow her (or better yet, leave the hospital altogether). But it seemed as if he didn't have much choice in the matter, and started after her despite the fluttering sensation he was experiencing in his stomach, taking comfort in Trinity, who walked beside him.

The Matron turned sharply before they'd even had a chance to take their third step. She rose a thin and bony neck snobbishly, looking down upon Trinity in a manner of obvious distaste.

"I'm sorry, but I have been given specific instructions from the Council. Neo is to take the tests alone." She shot Trinity her most menacing glare. "Completely alone."

Trinity's forehead immediately creased into frown lines, and the muscles around her lips tightened. "Excuse me?"

"I'm under orders, Trinity." The Matron said sternly. "No one is to accompany the patient at all."

Trinity stood rigidly to the spot, fuming and feeling her blood boil beneath her skin. _How dare she think she has the authority to keep me away from him! _

"I don't see why you'd want to come in with him anyway." The Matron continued when Trinity failed to reply, too angry to even form words. "It isn't as if his affairs are any of your business."

"Why don't you learn to mind _your _own business and butt out of other people's lives?" Trinity demanded angrily in the same tone of voice she'd used with Neo when he had told her she wasn't allowed to follow him into the Matrix to save Morpheus. She figured that the Council had not yet told the Matron about how Neo came to be the one and was silently thankful for it in amongst her rage. She and the Matron had a reputation for hating each other, and Trinity knew things would have been made much worse for her if the Matron knew about her personal life with Neo.

"I think it's about time you learnt where your place is, Trinity, and learn how to control that over-inflated ego of yours?" The Matron rebutted, her voice slightly risen out of rage.

Neo saw the anger lurking in Trinity's eyes...the dangerous fire ablaze within her pupils and knew that it could only mean trouble. And as much as he needed Trinity with him, he didn't want to bring anymore attention to them than required.

"It's alright." Neo said timidly, bringing the argument between Zion's two fiercest women to an abrupt halt. "Trin, I'll see you later, ok?"

Trinity shot him a dangerous look, and for a moment, Neo almost believed she was about to take her anger out on him. But instead, she merely nodded briskly and folded her arms across her chest, admitting defeat.

_If he doesn't need me with him, then there isn't any point in going._

The Matron looked on in disbelief. She knew that Neo was special...that it was foretold that he was the One. Although she didn't believe in the prophecy, she knew that this man must have been someone pretty special if he was able to silence Trinity, and give her ridiculous nicknames without being shouted at, or flattened in an instant- as it was in Trinity's nature. She stood stunned for a moment, before Neo interrupted her train of thought.

"Erm...should we be going somewhere?" He asked quietly.

The Matron shook herself back into reality, and nodded abruptly, gesturing to an offside corridor Neo hadn't noticed before, that undoubtedly led into the core of the hospital.

Neo turned his attentions to Trinity, who obviously appeared to be slightly put out. Despite his own inner turmoil at not having her with him during the course of his medical tests, he managed to force a comforting smile onto his lips.

"You don't have to wait for me here." Neo whispered just before the Matron became too impatient and dragged him away herself. "I'll meet you back at the room."

Trinity nodded, and watched silently until he'd disappeared down the offside corridor before retreating out of Zion's hospital.

(o)

"Ok, Neo, I just need to take another blood sample and then I can let you go on your way."

"_Another _blood sample?" Neo raised an eyebrow as he sat on the medical table in the center of the bland, white, operation room with his hands gripping the edge on either side of his body for support and his legs swinging idly over the side.

The young nurse nodded, making her way to his side with a tray of assorted medical equipment. For the past six hours, Neo had been sitting in this one room in the company of the one nurse, suffering through scan after scan...doctor after doctor...inspection after inspection...x-ray after x-ray....and worst of all, numerous amounts of injections and blood tests taken from different points of his body.

"This will be the last one." The nurse comforted. "For now, at least."

"What's this one for?" Neo asked irritably as she prepared the injection.

"Observation."

"You already _took _one for observation! Actually, you took three."

"I know you're getting aggravated with me, Neo. But could you at least try not to sound so much like a bitter old man?" The young woman demanded forcefully.

"Sorry." Neo apologized. He reminded himself that he was not the first person who had to undergo this same treatment and therefore in this situation she must have felt even more petulant than he did.

He rose his arm obediently and clenched his eyes shut as the needle was jabbed into one of his arm plugs, sucking up the blood from his arm. He bit down on the insides of his cheeks, causing raw marks to form where his teeth had been, and tried to think of something completely unrelated to what was happening now.

I wonder if this nurse even knows why she has to run me through all these medical tests...I _wonder how many people she's had to treat today...I wonder if she's as tired of this as I am...I wonder if she enjoys taking blood from other people...likes seeing it rise up out of my arm through a small tube............I wonder what Trinity did after I left..._

"Ok, that should be just about enough." The nurse decided, slowly sliding the needle back out of his plug. Neo gasped as it slipped out of his arm, and watched as she shook the droplets of blood off the needle and stored the two bags of blood on the medical tray.

Neo cringed, wondering why on earth anyone would want to be a nurse.

"Alright Neo, you're free to go." The nurse said, beaming brightly as she spoke. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Neo froze just before he let his body drop to the metallic white floor. "Tomorrow?"

"Uh huh." The young woman said cheerily, tossing her long and uncontrolled black hair about her shoulders, dusting off the white medical gown she wore. "Matron told me to inform you that you need to be back here at the same time tomorrow to continue the testing."

"Oh." Neo muttered sarcastically. "Great."

"Yeah, I can't wait to see you again, too." The nurse replied sardonically.

"Well...thanks." He murmured, although he couldn't see what he needed to thank her for.

"Don't mention it." The girl beamed. "Come on, I'll take you back to the foyer."

She half ran, half skipped to the door, then turned suddenly to watch Neo fixedly, her manner serious for once.

"I don't think I've introduced myself, have I?" Said the nurse, beaming when Neo shook his head. "I'm Vivianna."

"Oh." Neo mumbled, dropping to the floor to follow her out the door. "Hi."

(o)

Trinity paced the floor of her room, wondering when Neo would be back. After she left the hospital, she'd returned to her room, paced it aimlessly, set off on a walk, ran into Tank and spent some time conversing with him, before returning to her room to take a short nap, shower and change back into the dress she'd worn the previous day for seemingly no reason whatsoever, and then continued pacing the room again.

"God, I've never had this much free time." She told herself into the ringing silence of the surrounding walls. Indeed, this was not true, as she had spent more than just two days in Zion before. But perhaps she was growing restless because for the first time ever, she had not planned on spending any time throughout the trip alone, and therefore found it much harder to become settled. Especially when she had Neo to worry about.

The red steel front door squeaked, informing her that someone was trying to turn the wheel. Thinking it was Dwayne (as he was the only one she knew who was idiotic enough not to know how to open a door), Trinity crossed the room irritably with the intentions of telling him to piss off and opened the door harshly, only to be confronted by a surprised and bug-eyed Neo.

"Sorry." Trinity said hurriedly. "I thought you in."

She stood aside to give him access to the room that lay beyond, and Neo shot her a look of confusion before he stepped past her, leaving her to close the door behind him.

"What happened?" She asked anxiously as he made his way to the other side of the room and collapsed atop the bed with exhaustion.

"Nothing much." Neo shrugged. "Basically, they took me through more inspections, x-rays, blood tests and injections than I could ever count. Plus about a thousand different doctors, with a thousand different opinions and beliefs."

"So how many of the doctors know?" Trinity asked, standing stiffly in the middle of the room. Neo didn't need to ask what she'd meant.

"Only one, I think. And the Matron. But neither of them know the full story." He turned to face her, one hand massaging his forehead as a cheesy grin spread onto his face when an idea sprung into his head. "So...err...w-what do you want to do tonight?"

Trinity's eyes lit up in surprise, sensing that there may be two meanings to his comment. Most of her time spent alone in the past six hours had been used to reflect on her relationship with Neo, and how far they planned to take it. If their relationship was to be anything like Switch and Apoc's, then Zion was the perfect place to consider that kind of...thing. In the end, she'd decided it was best not to think about that, and just let fate take its course. But that didn't mean that comments he made of that nature wouldn't make her anxious.

"I-I thought you'd be too tired to want to do anything but sleep." She finally replied.

Neo didn't see why he would want to sleep. _All I was doing was sitting on a medical table for six hours. It isn't as if I was doing any physical activity. Besides, why would I want to sleep when I'm in the last city of mankind with Trinity?_

"I'm fine." Neo stated firmly. "I feel like....I don't know...doing something. Know anywhere we can go for fun?"

"Not really." Trinity shrugged. "Like I've told you before, I don't usually stay in Zion long enough to do anything like that. But I suppose there are clubs and things..."

He noticed that she didn't sound too thrilled about the prospect, and he had to admit that he wasn't ever much of a clubbing person anyway. But he was in an entirely new city...an entirely new world...he wanted to explore everything that was around him, and see everything Zion had to offer. And after all he and Trinity had been through thus far, he believed that they did deserve to a break...a chance to live a little. Who knew how long it would be before they had the opportunity to do so again? But, like every other decision he had to make now, he had to think about Trinity as well.

"You don't want to?" He asked her quietly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed to face her.

"No, I don't mind." She said truthfully. "I mean....if you want to..."

"Well, there really isn't much else we could do with ourselves." Neo reasoned, again making a statement with a double meaning. At least in Trinity's frame of mind.

"Oh....well...right." She said hurriedly. "Let's go."

(o)

The club Trinity took him to was the only one she really knew. When she'd first been unplugged, she was underage and therefore unable to go clubbing with the other members on board the Nebuchadnezzar until she was eighteen. By that time, Switch had been unplugged and they had spent Switch's first night in Zion in that club, before deciding conjointly that this was not the way they wanted to spend their leisure time any longer. Thinking back on that night now, as she led Neo to the very same club, Trinity realized that this was, in fact, the place of origin of her friendship with Switch.

Like the temples in Zion, clubs were made entirely of earth, rock and stone. It was a cave engraved roughly into the side of the city, large enough to hold a good few hundred people. It seemed to be blaring continuous music from an unseen location, even during the day when all clubs were empty. The mud floor was littered with young people, dancing together in the dirt with sweat dripping off their skin-bearing clothing, or lounging beside the bar, which was made up of carved rock. One thing was for certain- this was nothing like any club Neo had seen in the Matrix before.

"I never thought you'd be the clubbing type." Trinity called over the screaming music.

"I'm not." Neo replied with a grin. "I just wanted to see what a club here looked like."

"Well, now I suppose you have." Trinity answered, raising one eyebrow and folding both arms across her chest. "Happy?"

"I won't be until I've had a drink." Neo smirked, causing Trinity to smile.

"I've never pictured you as much of a drinker either."

"I'm not." Neo repeated. "But...I just want to try it. Who knows? Technically, I've never had a drink before, so I might surprise myself by liking it."

_Isn't that so typical? _Trinity thought to herself with a smirk. _He always seems to want to try new things...to learn as much as he possibly can about what's going on around him. God, will he ever change?_

Without saying a word, Trinity led him from the hollow entrance of the club past large groups of dancers. Neo noticed that unlike in the Matrix, the people of Zion did not dance in small clusters with people they knew, but spread out and took up each available space, dancing with anyone in the room regardless of whether they seemed to know the person or not.

They reached the bar at the same time, and leaned against the rock countertop facing the crowd of dancers, wedged between groups of drunks chattering senselessly to one another. The bar was towards the back of the club and out of the way so that there would be more room for dancing, so therefore the music didn't seem as loud and they could lower their voices a touch in order to make conversation.

"Yep." Neo said blandly, not tearing his eyes away from what was directly in front of him. "It's a club alright."

"A spectacular club, you must admit." Trinity said through a laugh.

_Not as spectacular as you. _The statement was true...very true. But of course, Neo could never bring himself to say it. It was on a very rare occasion, that he would be able to work up enough courage to give her a compliment due to fear of getting a bad reaction out of it. She didn't even like it when he said she was beautiful, so how could he think of giving her any other compliment?

"Hey, Neo!"

Neo turned at the sound of his name to see a young woman waving frantically towards him from a distance. It took him a great deal of time to recognize who she was, seeing as she was dressed in a white, midriff shirt and powder-pink sarong. But the dark hair swaying over fair shoulders gave her away instantly.

"How do you know Vivianna?" Trinity asked curiously.

"How do you know her?" Neo shot back.

"I know the name of every nurse who works in Zion. I've spent more time in the hospital than anyone else, and not because I'm weak. Because I'm not afraid to take chances." She paused, watching the smile spread across his face while he waved to the young nurse in reply before she disappeared into the crowd. "Did she treat you today?"

Neo nodded, turning his attentions back to the woman beside her. "She looks kind of young to be a nurse."

"She's nineteen." Trinity answered. "And she's not really a nurse. She's an apprentice to the Matron, fresh out of the academy. She was unplugged by Niobe and her crew when she was eleven."

"Shit, that's pretty young." Neo commented. "So...is it legal to unplug anyone under the age of twenty, even if they're a toddler?"

Trinity took a good few minutes to come up with her answer. "No, there isn't any written law against it, but it would happen on a very rare occasion. The youngest person we've ever unplugged was a ten year old."

There was a pause, in which Neo felt a pair of eyes lingering on his neck. He twisted behind him to see the same teenage girl who'd been staring at him in the Food Hall that morning watching him again with a incisive stare, her eyes bulging uncontrollably.

"Something wrong?" Trinity asked, leaning past him to see what had caught his attention.

"Who's that?" He asked quietly, gesturing to the teenager who still hadn't taken her eyes off him, even when she knew he was watching her.

"Never seen her before." Trinity snapped back, immediately becoming ashamed of the anger in her voice. The teenager was attractive, but that still didn't mean that he was interested in her by asking a simple question. She suddenly became aware of how protective she'd become over him. "Why?"

"She was staring at me at breakfast as well." Neo said with a shrug. "I guess it's just kind of...unnerving."

Trinity grinned, feeling all earlier tension flow free from her body. Neo was right; the girl did have large eyes...but Trinity couldn't blame her for gawking as her eyes subconsciously traveled down Neo's fragile body, and then upwards again so she could meet with his.

"I'll get us something to drink." She said in a voice hardly evident against the loud strumming of the surrounding music. She strode away, glancing back over her shoulder once to see if he was still watching her.

Neo wasn't alone for long. Split seconds after Trinity had disappeared through the crowds of drinkers, he felt hot breath on the back of his neck and turned sharply to meet with the large, emerald eyes of the teenager, standing so close to him that they were inches away from touching.

Now that she was closer, he could see that she was only about sixteen, with coils of blonde hair cascading down to her waist. If it weren't for her eyes, which seemed to literally bulge out of their sockets without any means of control, taking away the attention from her tight fitting, earth coloured dress, he may have even been found her attractive. She certainly did have similarities with the Woman in Red. It was not the way she looked, but the way she moved that had the drunken men around them roaming over her body with ever watchful eyes.

"What do you want from me?" He asked her, possibly a little fearfully. There was something about her that didn't seem to feel right...and Neo had a knack for sensing things wrong inside people.

"My name is Lorena." Said the girl, her voice no louder than a whisper. Neo had to strain his ears in order to hear her correctly. "What's yours?"

The fact that she had taken no notice of his earlier question seemed to only add additional hesitation towards conversing with her. He shot a quick glance to her arm to check for plugs, but at once came to the conclusion that she was Zion-born.

"Neo." He answered quietly, trying and failing not to observe the fact that she was usually thin for someone of her age, and her stomach seemed to curve inwards without her meaning to. "What do you want from me?"

Again, Lorena did not directly reply to the question, but countered it with another one of her own in an eerie tone. "How old are you?"

"Older than you." Neo said apprehensively, not wanting to give away too much information. His mind whirred, searching for an explanation to her odd behavior. Only one seemed plausible, yet he wasn't even sure if it was possible. He didn't know if drugs were available in Zion.

"A-Are you alright?" He asked worriedly. "Do....do you want me to take you home? Take you to see a doctor?"

Lorena was still, not emitting a single noise. Neo didn't know what to do...didn't know if she was ill or simply mental. He was about to consider grasping her wrist and leading her to the hospital by force when he felt a familiar presence behind him, and turned to see Trinity watching him with loathing.

Trinity didn't need to hear the conversation shared between the two, or know who the girl was to know what she was trying to do from the way she was moving...slowly....seductively. At once, she had felt her body swell with dislike, and stormed up to the pair of them right away.

"Piss off." She demanded in a voice that reflected no emotion. Lorena's face remained as lost and dreamy as it had been before and she retreated into the crowd, without once turning her back.

"Trin," Neo began hurriedly. "I-I didn't know what to do. I think she's sick, or there's something wrong with her. I was about to take her to the hospital when you showed up."

"She's not sick." Trinity scathed bitterly. "Just horny."

"Oh." Said Neo, replaying the passed events back through his mind. "Well, I don't think that was what she wanted. I think there's something wrong with her...like she's afraid of something...like she wanted my help. Gee, I don't know." He lifted his downcast eyes and fixed them upon Trinity's face. "I guess it doesn't matter now, does it?"

Trinity shook her head, smiling now too. "No. It doesn't."

She held out a hand to pass him the drink she'd brought for him, but instead of accepting it, Neo grasped her wrist impulsively, drawing her closer to him and moving back against the countertop until she was nestled in between his legs. She let out a gasp of shock, eyes wide as they poured into the depths of his own, but then managed to calm her racing heart by sipping from the drink she still held in her other hand.

Neo accepted the drink she'd offered him earlier, again unsure what had made him pull her so close to him. He took a gulp of the substance floating in his glass and felt it catch in his throat, causing him to drop it with a clash and lean forward to cough and splutter over Trinity's shoulder. She set her own, unfinished glass aside and rubbed his back soothingly, toying with the lacy material of his short sleeved, chrome coloured shirt. She could tell now that he was leaning over her shoulder, and only increasingly closing the gap between them, that he was obviously aroused.

"Sorry." He mumbled remorsefully, drawing back once his coughing had subsided.

"It was your first drink." Trinity said with a smile. "Did you really expect it to go down so well?"

"You know, you can be really cold when you want to be." Neo grinned to show he was joking, bringing a hand down to her hip and rubbing it in a circular motion. "Anyway, it wasn't my first drink. Cypher and I had a drink one night when he was taking a shift in the core."

Trinity didn't reply, even to make a hateful comment at the mention of Cypher's name. The hand on her hip was creating friction against the fabric of her dress, making her squirm against him. Before too long, she was unable to control herself and, despite that fact that she was in clear view of anyone who chose to walk by, allowed herself to kiss him, nipping mercilessly at the corners of each lip. He hummed in the back of his throat, trying to part her lips with his tongue, but she held them together firmly...taunting him....teasing him. He knew that she knew what she was doing to him...knew that she wouldn't stop until she got the response she wanted.

The only problem was, he was too shy to give it to her. But soon the playful kisses she showered upon him became too much to bear and he pulled away from her lips, taking in long and rasping breaths.

"I love you, Trinity." He breathed against her neck.

After he'd broken their kiss, Trinity had lowered her eyes to catch her breath. Now, she lifted them to meet his and saw a mixture of uncomplicated emotions....love entwined with lust. It was enough to allow him to kiss her hungrily once more, and in plain view of the surrounding crowd. But for once, she couldn't have cared what they thought. To her, there wasn't even music in the room anymore.

Finally, he pulled away from her, finding the unknown source of confidence inside him once more. Enough, at least, to give him courage to kiss her neck, regardless of the surrounding crowd , some of whom were obviously giving them their amused attention. The fact that anyone would be brave enough to even try to kiss her was sufficient shock on its own. But the fact that she was kissing him back so was too unlike her...too unbelievable to be real.

Amongst the people of Zion, Trinity had quite a reputation for being cold, detached and single.

Eventually, Neo brought both his arms around her waist, clasping his hands together behind her and pulling her against him tightly. It was then that Trinity became aware of her location, and felt her face grow hot. Neo felt her cheeks warm against his neck, and pulled away from her, blinking in confusion.

"Let's go." She practically begged. Neo nodded, allowing her to take hold of one of his hands and march him out of the club. Once they were out of earshot, Neo bent to whisper in her ear.

"Now look who's feeling horny."

Trinity cast him a dark look, but Neo could tell that she was trying very hard not to smile.

(o)

A/N: Lemon next chapter. I suggest that if you don't like that kind of thing, you don't read it. Anyway, it won't be a very good one since I'm 13...and I sort of don't know much about that stuff. But I kind of figured that this story was leading up to it, and I haven't written anything else like this story before so hell, why not?

Anyway, please review and tell me what you think. Your opinion is welcomed!


	20. Defining Perfection

A/N: Man, I am so cruel! I completely forgot to write a thank you note at the beginning of the last chapter thanking everyone for all their reviews on my chapter 18. You all made me feel so much better…and things are starting to work out now. My friend and I have made up, and I've been studying really hard for those crappy exams. If I get good marks, there's no reason why I can't stay in the school I'm in now!

Yet again, thanks to everyone so much. You're reviews meant a lot to me 

Neo-Lover72- I have no problem with you posting my writing up elsewhere. As long as you put my name (Trinity-Neo1818) on it, I'm cool with it.

Well here I am, a few nights after my exams, eating my way through a packet of 'Fruit Tingles' and a bucket of fries, preparing to write a sex scene for the first time ever. Not a very romantic setting for a romantic chapter. Yet again, I must say that this won't be that good considering my age, but I'll give it my best shot.

I hope you enjoy it!

20

"Shit." Trinity cursed the moment she managed to pull the front door to their room open and stared into the darkness that lay beyond.

"What is it?" Neo asked, peering over her shoulder to try and figure out what had caused her reaction.

"The electric lighting's shot." Trinity explained, fiddling with the switch beside the door. She swiveled round to face him, smiling tiredly. "Wouldn't be the first time. Zion doesn't have a very stable lighting system."

"Better than the one we have on the Neb." Neo shrugged, recalling a time when Trinity had explained how the lighting system on board the ship worked while they repaired the engines in the cockpit. She had told him that the main lights were set to turn on automatically at a set time, and the same for when they turned off. However, each room had it's own small system of light, that enabled it to be used after hours.

"But not as reliable." Trinity continued, breaking him from his thoughts. "The electricity problems have become so frequent in the past few years that the Council decided that it was essential for every room to be equipped with candles."

"Oh." Said Neo, finally understanding the purpose of the short, thick white candles that seemed to be positioned throughout the entire room- including the space outside the bed cave.

"Hang on, I'll get a lighter. Hold the door open until we can get some light in." Trinity instructed.

Neo nodded, watching her disappear into the darkness of the room that lay beyond as he leaned against the doorframe. Because of the light he was allowing to stream into the room from the outside corridor, he could just barely make out the faint outline of Trinity's figure moving towards the kitchenette inside the dimly lit room. He heard a clatter, as if someone was searching for something in amongst other things. Then, he saw the faint flicker of firelight illuminate a small portion of the room, its flames dancing across Trinity's elegant face.

He waited until she'd lit all the candles except for the ones surrounding the bed cave before he stepped into the room properly, allowing the front door to close behind him. He observed the uncertainty in Trinity's eyes before she finally decided that lighting the candles around the bed cave would not make a change to the atmosphere of the room.

Trinity hardly noticed the way her hands shook violently while she lit the final few candles, too busy focusing on what was going on inside her mind at the time. _There's something about spending an evening together in a club, and then returning to sleep in a candlelit room that doesn't seem right to me…_

For once, Neo's thoughts were traveling along the same pattern. The flickering tongues of fire spurting from the candles was creating an interesting effect on the tan coloured gown she wore, making the pastel skin on her bare back seem more vibrant than it usually was, and the fabric of her dress thinner than before, causing her waist to appear additionally petite and feminine. The ebony kinks of hair that framed her face seemed softer, lighter…easier to finger between his hands. Her neck appeared taller, slimmer and darker in tone than it had been in a properly lit room. But what seemed to captivate him the most was the singular curves of her body….the silkiness of her skin….

He watched her as she lit the candles, her back turned to him. Each movement she made was an essence of beauty, strength and delicacy. Each time her bare shoulder shifted to move her hand, and each time she strode to the next set of candles, her legs brushing against the skirt of her dress…each time the muscles around the silvery plugs running directly down her spine tightened, he became more aware of the way his heart would thud in his chest, and the sweat that was slowly beginning to gather in the clammy palms of his hands.

It was then that he realized it was not the candlelight that was causing him to see Trinity in this way. It had more to do with the heated tension swimming through his veins whenever he looked at her. And all it did was give him a burning desire to touch her.

She had only just lit the last candle when a pair of firm arms slipped around her waist, clasping sweaty hands together against her stomach and drawing her back against a warm chest. She let out a gasp of surprise, dropping the lighter to the dirt floor almost instantly and straining her neck to look into the eyes of the newcomer, although she knew from both his touch, and the fact that this was the only credible possibility, that the man who held her was Neo.

Her aroma was overwhelming him now….overpowering him. He lowered his head into the right side of her neck, placing a row of soft kisses tracing from her jawbone, across the fabric tied around her neck and holding the top half of her dress together, to the very edge of her shoulder. Trinity whimpered, wriggling until she'd freed herself from his solid grasp. For a while, he was worried that he'd done something she didn't like. But he soon realized she was only pulling away in order to turn and face him properly.

It was amazing, in Trinity's point of view, that you could look upon the same sight day in and day out and still never grow tired of it. It was the way she felt whenever she locked eyes with Neo, and was granted the privilege to use his russet brown eyes to see the fire burning behind them, and the love and passion that inflamed her mirrored within his own steady gaze.

Now that she was facing him directly, Neo was struggling not to loose control. The style of her dress was designed so that the skin revealed between her breasts was visible until it reached her navel, when the fabric was brought together at a dip near her waist. Although his eyes were much more preoccupied with upholding the constant eye contact between them then with roaming over her velvety skin. Her ice blue eyes - the first thing he'd noticed about her when they met in the Matrix for the first time - were now pouring into his soul, revealing thoughts and emotions she would show to none other than him.

All rational thinking…all sense of fear seemed to flow from Trinity's body and melt through the floor of their room when she met Neo's eyes. She no longer seemed to care or worry about loosing her virginity…about giving herself to the man she loved…or about anything other than him. Him….Neo….the One.

She lifted her hand to his short sleeved, chrome coloured shirt, pressing down against his skin and tracing her fingers along his muscles through the fine material, brushing her knuckles across one of his nipples.

"Trinity…" He groaned, impulsively placing a hand on top of hers, using his free one to wrap back around her waist and pull her back towards him, grinding their hips together.

She wasn't sure if it was the close contact between them, or the tone in which he said her name that made her perceive the reality of the situation. At once, she began to panic, and sweat gathered on her hands. Not for lust, but for fear of the situation that she'd unintentionally gotten herself into.

"Neo," She whispered, her voice hoarse and dry. Neo blinked, startled, when he looked into her eyes again to see none other than fear masking the deeper feelings she'd reserved solely for him. He coaxed his head to the side, wondering, yet again, if he'd done the wrong thing.

"Neo," She repeated, choosing her words carefully. She didn't want to offend him, or make him think that she didn't love him. But he had told her never to be afraid to show him how she felt, no matter what emotion she conveyed. She let her eyes fall, meeting with the dirt of the floor below them as she spoke in a low whisper. "I-I've never done this before…I…"

At first, Neo was unsure of what she meant. He could tell she was afraid of something…something she wanted to do, but was petrified of. He couldn't work out what it was for a while….the situation had been this intimate between them before….why should she be afraid of it? It was then that he realized, that she was afraid of it turning into something deeper…thinking about the one idea that hadn't occurred to him until now. And all at once, he became fearful of it, too. But for different reasons.

He wasn't worried about losing his virginity when it was to Trinity, the single person he'd loved or ever would love. When he saw her, standing before him with her head bent so she wouldn't meet his eyes, he was reminded of the Trinity who had pierced a knife into a human's skull. The Trinity who'd murdered too many people to count. The heartless Trinity….the strong Trinity…stronger than he ever could be, One or not. He was afraid he would not be what she wanted….what she deserved. Trinity was perfection….she deserved perfection. But it was perfection he'd never be able to give her.

Her hand was still pressed against his heart with his own held atop hers, his right arm enveloping her waist, drawing her close to him. A month ago, he wouldn't have dared to even think about touching her like this, as if it were something to sacred or holy to consider. Only that morning, he'd felt the same way when it came to making love with her. And yet now here he was, facing both situations at once.

_Not really. _He argued inside his mind. _There's no law saying we need to do anything we don't want to do. _

Even so, there was a flame growing inside of him as he held her. Pools of fire were radiating off his fingertips whenever he touched her. Despite the fact that he was afraid, he wanted her….needed her….loved her. Loved every part of her.

He brought his hand from around her waist and cupped her chin to lift her head, forcing her to look him directly in the eyes once more. Her very pupils seemed blurred, hazed with love and admiration, and yet also with a sense of nervousness.

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to." For one terrifying moment, he was sure she planned to pull away…say that he needed his rest. But all she did was nod once against the hand that still softly cupped her chin. He smiled, drawing so close to her that his next words were breathed against her lips. "I love you."

She parted her lips to reply, but he kissed her before she had the chance to utter a single word. Straight away, his tongue slipped past her lips, tracing the roof of her mouth. A half stifled moan echoed from the back of her throat when their tongues clashed together. One of her arms found itself growing a mind of its own, and wrapping around his neck, likewise for the leg on the same side of her body, which rose forward slightly off the ground, her knee bent in an attempt to close the non existing gap between them.

Subconsciously, Neo shuffled closer to her in order to deepen the kiss shared between them, causing her to back up until she had no room left, and broke their kiss to lower herself onto the bed directly behind them, keeping her arm round his neck. Neo twisted his body slightly to the left, in order to support her fragile frame as she gradually came to the bed, sitting with her head propped up against the pillows with one leg still bent, the other lying straight, her skirt risen to her thighs to reveal the startling white legs it held beneath.

The arm around his neck pulled the top half of his body down with her, until he eventually had to climb onto the bed beside her. He wriggled up the mattress until he lay directly beside her, turned on his side to face her and with one elbow supporting his weight, while she lay down completely and gazed into his eyes, listening to her heart thudding in her chest, letting the arm around his neck fall down his back, and then drew it back to her side.

Neo panted, taking in the air he'd been denied while kissing her when they were still upstanding. His body was almost pressed against her side, with only a small fraction of space left between them, which was occupied with the elbow he used to hold himself stable. Her once neat hair was now mattered and tousled, dark against the brilliant white of the pillows. Her cheeks were flushed, eyes heavy, lips parted delicately to allow heavy breathing.

_No one else has ever seen her like this before. And no one else ever will…ever be able to see how beautiful she looks after I've kissed her. God, she's like this because of me! Trinity, the strongest and most independent woman in Zion…_

His lips formed a quivering smile, and he lifted the hand connected to his supporting elbow, brushing threads of ebony hair out of cloudy blue eyes with careful, upward stokes across her forehead. Smiling now too, she glided one hand underneath his shirt, massaging the muscles of his stomach beneath it. Even now, Neo was still surprised that someone so strong could have such a soft touch…such careful fingers…knew the precise way to send him into oblivion.

Trinity felt his muscles twitch against her hand, heard him groan uncontrollably and smirked to herself, loving the effect she had on him. He shifted his weight to come down upon her in a passionate kiss, but she stopped him by moving her head to the side, pressing their skin together to place soft, sucking kisses along his earlobe….teasing him….taunting him.

"You're cruel." He grunted. She could literally taste both the yearning and the frustration in his voice.

"Only when I want to be." She whispered into his ear. She flopped back onto the pillows with much less grace than before, only this time she drew him with her and allowed him to kiss her again.

When he left her mouth some time later, his lips continued across one cheek, down her jawbone and neck until he reached her collarbone. His lips left a patch of wet behind wherever he kissed her, as well as a small pool of fire bubbling inside her. All the while, her hand had traveling from his stomach to his back, and was now tracing a path between the plugs down his spine.

Without meaning to, they seemed to have made a silent agreement not to think while making love. It only reminded them of what they should be doing…of Zion…the Matrix…things they needn't think of until the following morning. All they needed to know, when they were together in the dead of night, was that they were in love…and they were alone.

Neo stopped kissing her so he could assist in tugging his shirt over his head, Trinity using the one hand that had been rubbing the muscles along his back. He dropped it to the dirt floor, then shifted his weight so that he was almost completely on top of her.

This was not the first time she'd seen Neo in this much clothing, but it was the first time she felt she could touch him without having to use the excuse of tending to his wounds. She brought both hands up to this chest, drawing lines around each of his muscles, collecting droplets of sweat that were already beginning to form with her fingertips.

Desperate to touch her, he ran his index finger from her collarbone down through the middle of her dress, drawing a line down the exposed, naked flesh, pressing down firmly. She cried out in ecstasy, hands sliding over his shoulder blades to his back once more, clawing at him desperately.

Neo knew what came next, but was suddenly overcome with hesitation. This was Trinity, his second-in-command. A soldier…a fighter…a warrior, and not the sort of person who would generally allow someone to take her dress off. He felt his cheeks grow hot, and saw her look at him in confusion, before he finally gained enough courage to speak.

"Trinity," He asked her bashfully. "C-Can I touch you?"

All she could do was nod, unable to form words. Her skin was still wet in places where he'd kissed her, and the line running down the center of her dress tingled from where he'd touched her already. How could he think she'd say 'no', when she could experience so many sensations of pleasure just from what they'd done thus far?

Neo smiled, fingers interlacing behind her neck and pulling her forwards to undo the dress. At the same time, a thought sprung into his head. _This definitely isn't going to be anything like the Trinity I'm used to. _

But as soon as one of his hands began to fumble with the knot holding the halter neck together, she panicked once more. She had never considered herself to be beautiful…didn't even think she was attractive. Then he began to tell her the opposite, and for a while, she had even begun to believe him. But now….now she wasn't so sure. Wasn't sure if he'd still think she was beautiful when he undid her dress.

Even if she had wanted to, it was too late to protest. Already he'd managed to undo the knot holding the top half of the halter neck gown together. The fabric slid over her shoulders, brushing against her skin as it eventually fell to her hip to meet the skirt of her clothing. She closed her eyes, partly to enjoy the vibrations coursing through her veins when she felt his eyes on her naked skin, and partly to delay seeing his reaction in case it was one she wouldn't like.

Neo gaped at her, lying flatly beneath him with both eyes closed. He could hear her panting…taking slow and shallow breaths for reasons unknown to him. But if she was feeling anything like he was, then it was to calm the overload of new and inexperienced emotions he felt when he looked upon her.

_God, she's so beautiful. Unlike anything I've ever seen before…or ever will see again. _Again, he was overcome with a desire to give her the perfection he believed both that she deserved, and that he could not give her. He studied her for a long time, each unmasked curve of her body, each exposed feature and each plug dug into her skin only adding to his impending desire to touch her until he could bear it no longer.

Despite his fear of imperfection, he lifted one hand to her collarbone, drawing a fine line down her yielding skin until it came to her chest, then traveled up the side of one breast. Her eyes sprung open the minute his fingers began to move upwards, and she shifted so that she was sitting upright, but still beneath him, eyes hazy with incurable want and desire.

Trinity hadn't expected him to touch her so suddenly. Until she'd fallen in love with him, she had never imagined herself in this situation, and not once had she thought about what it would feel like to have someone run their fingers across her breasts. Nor did she then believe that anything could ever feel as good. His hands seemed to melt when they touched her, like an ice-cream on a hot summer's day, as they trembled, riding up until they reached the peak, circling her nipple and then lowering slowly down the opposite side.

She'd been too focused on his hands to notice his eyes until she sensed that he was trying to find hers, possibly (dare she even hope for it) because she'd rendered him speechless. When she did meet his gaze, she realized that this was indeed true. It was the obscure effect in his constant stare that told her that he definitely did like what he saw, once again washing away all feelings of doubt.

His hand moved to the other breast, this time with more confidence. He began to draw circles around her supple skin until he reached the peak, then tugged at her nipple, stroking her with firm hands. Her pride fought against her, willing her not to slip and cry out again. But her heart would not give in, and a shallow moan ended up elapsing from the back of her throat. She lifted her lower body even further, struggling to sit up even more so that she already was.

Using the hands that were still clinging to his upper back, Trinity propelled herself upwards until she was close enough to lower her head and place a ring of soft kisses just around the outside of one of his nipples. He grunted, enveloping both arms around her stomach and pushing her back down onto the bed, bringing himself with her.

Before she knew it, he was kissing the plugs just above each breast, and then moving back across her breasts with his mouth…worshipping her skin. She gasped with surprise, having thought he'd be too timid to try something like this. Nevertheless, she couldn't deny that she liked it, and it took all of her self resolve not to cry out again, and instead groped at his hair

Neo knew that she was too proud to give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream. The soft moans and gasps she was forced to let escape was all she wanted to allow, and even that was something she'd rather go without. Yet this only made him want to hear, and to feel, her reaction to him even more. He moved his mouth over the peak of one breast, tongue flicking out against her nipple. This time, she could no longer hold it in, and a loud groan ripped from her mouth, echoing around the walls of their room.

"Neo…." She whimpered pitifully once she'd reclaimed herself, fingers digging into his skull. He could tell that she was ashamed of the tone in her broken voice. "…..God…."

He stopped kissing her to lift his head, to see her staring up at him, wide-eyed and defenseless. "I know." He whispered comfortingly, trying to make her feel less humiliated. "It's ok….don't be afraid."

She couldn't reply, her speaking ability long since having drifted away with her reputation and dignity, at least when they were confined to this room. When she failed to say anything, his expression became apprehensive and anxious.

"Do….you know, we can stop….if you want to."

Trinity shook her head violently, knowing that was the last thing she needed. She didn't see why her pride should matter anymore….at least not when she was with him. Didn't he tell her that she should feel free to convey any emotion she wanted when they were alone together? The only emotions she felt now were both love, and want.

"No." She replied almost instantly, shaking her head violently, lowering her voice before she continued. "Please."

It was the first time she could remember saying that word throughout the course of her entire life. It was the first time she'd actually wanted something; needed something so desperately to say it. And she could tell from the satisfied smirk spread across Neo's face, that he was more than happy with her response.

It seemed to take him an eternity to slide his hand down the left side of her body. From the tip of her shoulder…down and over her breast….gliding over her flat stomach and finally reaching her hip, where he began to pull her skirt and underwear with him down her legs, his hand grazing the insides of her thighs. Finally, he guided the dress over her feet and tossed the entire garment to the floor, leaving her bare and naked on the bed in beneath him.

It was then that he knew just what perfection was. She was perfection….every inch of her body….everything blended together and mixed with her heart, her soul, her spirit. Everything that made up 'Trinity' was the very meaning of the word; and nothing would ever be as fantastic or as amazing as she was. But what he really found unbelievable was that he, and he alone would be the only person to ever see her like this….ever be able to see the meaning of perfection.

"What?" She asked, her voice hoarse. "Neo, what is it?"

"Perfection." Was all he could say, moving up across the bed to capture her lips again.

Trinity didn't need to know anything more than that one word as a response. When he had been taking off the lower half of her dress, she hadn't been as nervous as before. This was simply because she realized that if he loved her only half as much as she loved him, her body wouldn't matter to him. Only who she was as a person. Even so, he had called her 'perfection'. The exact word she'd use to describe him too.

She slid her hands back over his chest, guiding them down his stomach to the hem of his pants. He helped her to wrestle them off him with much less control than he had demonstrated when removing her clothes. Neither cared at this stage, with more on their mind than just the fear they'd been suffering from earlier. Nothing seemed to matter anymore….nothing except being in love.

In a silent agreement, he entered her in a single swift movement. All he had to do was move his body atop her fully, completely filling her with him. Before she knew it, he was inside her and she gasped as he broke her barrier…erasing her virginity all in an instant, and sending too many indescribable feelings flooding through her body. She felt complete…like two pieces of a puzzle being united at last. No longer was she able to control herself, or give a thought to whatever reputation she still held with him. Her body arched upwards to accommodate him, and she let out a scream of both pleasure and pain, much to Neo's personal satisfaction.

She didn't think something as beautiful or simply unexplanatory could hurt. She was a woman who didn't even flinch when she was shot, kicked or wounded in any way, so she never thought that something that seemed as simple as this could be painful. But it wasn't simple….it was indescribable. Painful, and yet beautiful at the same time. It appeared as if he'd touched her in a place she couldn't control, and the pain sent shivers running down her spine.

"Oh God!" Neo groaned as he entered her, feeling her close in around him….infecting him like no one else ever could. These were the only two words he could use to describe the intense feelings of pleasure overcoming him. She was so warm….so wet….fitting against him perfectly…heat radiating off her skin. He could taste her sweat on him….feel the rush of intensity he could not control. It was then and there that he realized that nothing would ever feel the same….none could ever feel like Trinity did when he made love to her. This was perfection. This was the ultimate. And all he had to do was move into her.

Trinity held in her words, snapping her eyes shut and clawing at his back tightly for support. So tightly, in fact, that red marks indented into his pale skin wherever she touched him, leaving her fingerprints behind. She counted under her breath slowly, waiting for the pain to go away. Eventually, she exhaled an exasperated breath, and letting go of his back, fell back onto the bed, breathing ragged breaths.

"Trin?" He asked her quietly, slightly intimidated by her reaction. It certainly wasn't what he expected from her. But then….what did he expect? Not the pained, expression on her face. He bent and gently kissed her temple, whispering apologetically several times when he realized he was the cause for her reaction. "Do….do you want to stop?"

Trinity shook head violently, wrapping her arms back around his neck and kissing his neck, finding a vein and sucked on it tenderly, forcing a purple, blue blemish to appear. Neo moaned heavily, beginning to move inside her. Slowly at first….but then increasing the intensity of each trust as they became accustomed to it.

Each time a name was whispered in ecstasy, and each time a whimper was uttered, Trinity and Neo both felt themselves falling over the edge of oblivion. She buried her head into his neck as he moved, making more reddish marks on his back and shoulders until Neo slowed, growing steadily tired. As much as he wanted to continue, he dropped on top of her with exhaustion.

Their body sweat mingled as he nestled his head into her chest and whimpered softly, becoming comfortable against her skin. Trinity smiled, running her fingers through his hair soothingly. She was entering a state of self pride in conquering her fears when he began to whisper.

"I can hear your heart beating." He murmured against her chest.

Trinity's smile broadened as she kissed the top of his head lightly.

"I love you, Trin." He yawned unwillingly, allowing sleep to claim him.

"I love you, Neo." Trinity replied, already half asleep herself.

(o)

Thanks for reading, please review!!!


	21. Blemish

A/N: Just a brief note to thank you for your reviews on the previous chapter. I now feel inclined to write more sex scenes, thanks to your wonderful support, and I'll be sure to have more in later chapters. Your reviews are what make the daunting days spent at school seem worth it when I get home in the afternoons. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!

Not a very romantic chapter. Mostly charecter development, and establishing plot lines. But I hope you enjoy it anyway!

21

Neo awoke the next morning feeling strangely content and warm, despite the fact that the only thing covering him was the flimsy sheets of the bed. It was only when he cracked open one eye and let his bleary vision come to focus on Trinity's sleeping form beside him, that he remembered why.

From what he could tell, she was still sound asleep, with both eyes closed gently and a secret smile flickering on her lips. She was breathing steadily, sheets covering everything from the top of her breasts downwards, and her mess of raven, dark hair was bright in tone against the white pillows.

He smiled, lifting a hand and tracing it along her upturned cheekbone. She stirred, but did not wake, shifting in amongst the sheets slightly and subconsciously drawing herself closer to him. His smile broadened, and he bushed back a few strands of her hair, unable to believe that he'd only just made love to her.

_Funny, she's always been such an early riser, and I...well...I haven't. I think this is actually the first time I've woken up before her. _He smirked to himself. _I wonder if it has something to do with last night._

After some time of lazing around in bed, Neo eventually scrambled to his feet as quietly as he could, lest he wake the obviously exhausted Trinity. He showered, changed into a long sleeved, tan shirt and earth brown pants, and left the room, closing the door behind him as silently as he could.

Without having any need to be anywhere important, or any reason to take a long and pointless walk around Zion (most likely to end up finding himself lost), he made his way to the edge of the corridor, and leaned over the balcony opposite the front door to his room, resting folded arms on the surface if the banister.

It was a pleasant place to stand, he decided, as he looked down over the many floors bellow him filled with bustling people swarming past each other to reach their destination. The cool, balmy breeze tickling his face by means of an invisible source helped to clear his head and make him think things through more clearly, and the sounds of the people drifting by could be easily blocked out when he closed his eyes and fell into his own reverie, allowing him to review the events of the previous night for the third time already that morning.

Up until last night, he hadn't even considered making love to Trinity as a possibility. He supposed that in a way, it was similar to the day he was unplugged from the Matrix. The day before it happened, he couldn't even have guessed what Morpheus would have told him only twenty four hours later. So how could he have made a choice to do something when he didn't even know what the choice was? Perhaps it was fate that guided him into the real world....to Trinity.

Trinity. Solider; fighter; and warrior. One of the most powerful and beautiful women in Zion had slept with him only last night. That knowledge within itself was barely describable, let alone the feeling that accompanied it.

In brief, he left like he was a God, standing there and overlooking the people whom he'd one day have to save from the wrath of the machines. Perhaps this was what Morpheus meant by being able to 'free his mind'. He felt so powerful...as though nothing was impossible....that he would be able to do anything ....and it was all because of her.

"Well, aren't we looking very pleased with ourselves this morning."

That feeling of invincibility was almost completely washed away, however, when his thoughts were broken by an obviously irritated tone. Vivianna was slowly making her way towards him, dressed plainly in her white medical gown with cascades of rich, dark hair swinging freely about her shoulders, and a wide grin spread across her pale face.

"Hi." He said with a grin equivalent to her own, turning his head to face her and unfolding his arms to stand up straight again, but continuing to grip the banister with both hands.

"We've you been?" She questioned, crossing both arms over her stomach and leaning beside him, gracing him with a look of both aggravation and annoyance evident against her tightly pursed lips.

"Sleeping." He shrugged innocently, changing his tone when Vivianna raised and lowered one eyebrow. "What?"

"You were meant to be at the hospital and hour and a half ago for more testing." She retorted. "Matron's furious. She sent me here to find you."

"Great." He said dryly, not at all looking forward to the prospect of more testing. "So...you want me to go with you now?"

He cast a quick look at the red steel door leading back to the sleeping Trinity, feeling apprehensive to leave without telling her where he was going. Figuring that she would realize that the hospital was the only place he would have gone without her, and also from seeing that he didn't have much choice in the matter from the expression on Vivianna's face, decided to go against his best instincts.

"Yeah, it'd be nice if you could get there sometime today." She moved away from the banister and started back down the corridor, beckoning him after her. "Hurry up."

(o)

"So when do I get the results of the tests back?" Neo asked, once again sitting on the edge of a medical table in the hospital and swinging his legs over the side idly.

"Hopefully by the end of today." Vivianna replied, failing to take her eyes of the needle she was preparing. She had learnt over the past two days she'd spent in Neo's company that he particularly disliked them. "For now, I need you to sit through a particularly painful injection."

"They're all painful to me." Neo frowned, muttering more to himself than to her before he lifted his head to address her properly. "What's this one for?"

"One of our blood specialists thinks this might be able to help give us a clearer reading of your blood type. I'll send it to him along with the another blood sample."

"A blood specialist?" Neo raised an eyebrow sardonically. "Gee, sounds like a fantastic job."

Vivianna chose to ignore him.

She approached the medical table, holding her syringe aloft and struggling to keep her expression steady when she saw the look imprinted onto her patient's face. "Just one little jab in the neck, then we can take some more x-rays, another blood sample and then you can go on your merry way."

Neo felt the skin on his neck prickle when she approached him, preparing to inject the drug into his bloodstream. He snapped his eyes shut, clenching his hands together, and was wondering what had happened to his sense of invincibility from earlier that morning, when she suddenly jerked the needle away.

"What's that on your neck?" She questioned in bewilderment. Neo hurriedly clamped his hand over the right side of his neck, rubbing his fingers across the mark in his skin. He had completely forgotten about the purple-blue blemish Trinity had left on his neck the previous night, and none – not even himself – had taken any notice of it until now. Feeling his cheeks redden with embarrassment, he decided to pretend that he'd suddenly become very interested in his bare feet dangling limply over the side of the table.

Luckily, he was not pressed to answer any further questions as the door to the room sprung open suddenly and the Matron filled the doorframe, her face seemingly even more withered and wrinkled than it had been before, most likely because of the huge, dark bags under both eyes, signifying that she hadn't managed to get much sleep.

"Nearly finished?" She asked impatiently, scowling and tossing back her long, silvery hair.

"Just one x-ray and two injections to go." Vivianna answered brightly, turning her attentions away from her patient for the time being.

"We need this room cleared as soon as possible." The Matron ordered, folding both arms across her chest. "Make sure that you get through it quickly."

"I'll do my best."

"You'll do _better _than your best if you want to work on my staff officially, young lady." The Matron continued prudently, furrowing her brows. "Be quick about it, then."

A stilled silence filled the room for the first time since Neo had arrived the moment the Matron exited briskly back through the door to the room. Because his mind was too preoccupied with other thoughts, he hardly noticed that Vivianna had struck the needle firmly into the 'unmarked' side of his neck, sending a clear and unknown liquid coursing through his veins. Nor did he take time to silently thank Vivianna for not bringing her attention back to the blemish on his neck, obviously realizing that this was not a topic he wished to discuss.

_I think I can see why Trinity never got on so well with the Matron. But I can't see why Vivianna would want to be the Matron's apprentice. Vivianna seems to be pretty intelligent, and I don't know why she would want to take a job in the medical career._

"Something wrong?" Vivianna asked quietly, sliding the needle out of his vein and dabbing his skin with what Neo hoped was cotton.

"No, just thinking." Neo mumbled, lowering his hands from the right side of his neck, seeing no point in concealing the blemish any longer. "The Matron can be as tough as Trinity when she wants to be."

"Tell me about it." Vivianna said through a laugh as she cleared away the medical equipment. "I don't think that Matron has the ability to see life in a positive way. She only ever seems to notice my faults, and not what I'm good at."

"Then..." Neo began awkwardly, unsure of how to phrase his question without invading her privacy. "...then why did you apply for an apprenticeship here? Why do you want to be a nurse so badly?"

Vivianna's forehead creased into frown lines to convey that she was deep in thought. It wasn't until she reached the countertop and started to wash her hands that she came up with her reply.

"When I was first unplugged, I spent more than enough time coming in and out of Zion's hospitals. Not because I was unplugged at a considerably young age, but because I have a unique ability present in only one of ten humans in both the real world and the Matrix."

"What?" Neo asked, swiveling around to face her.

"I have a photographic memory." Vivianna continued, not taking her eyes from the soap she was threading through her hands. "I think that's why Niobe wanted to unplug me at such an early age. She thought that my abilities could be useful to the resistance. But after spending so much time in hospital under observation, I was exposed to plenty of people who had been injured poorly, and desperately needed medical treatment. I guess....I guess I really felt for those people. I wanted to do something worthwhile...something to help them. So I worked hard at the academy, and got a place as the Matron's apprenticeship. You see, Neo, the job might not be all that great, and it definitely isn't going to get any better with time. But that doesn't matter. The important thing is that I'm doing something to help other people, and that makes everything seem worthwhile."

"Whoa." Neo choked out after a brief pause, eyes wide with astonishment. He had never known a nineteen year old who could be so deep. "That's amazing, Vivianna. Not many people as young as you can see things that way."

"It's one of my many thousands of talents." She said with a shrug, turning back to face him with a wide smile. "So what about you? What do you plan to do from now on?"

_Destroy the Matrix...end the war...save mankind. _It was what he was meant to do, at least, although he didn't even know how he was supposed to do it. Besides, Vivianna hadn't been told that he was the One yet.

"I don't know." Neo said meekly "I guess I'll just keep serving Morpheus on the Neb."

"Being a solider is a worthwhile occupation as well." Vivianna concluded, bringing an end to the conversation. Neo observed her carefully, watching as her expression turned from stony to bright the instant an idea bounced into her head. "Hey, why don't we both go and get a bite to eat after you've finished your tests today? Don't tell me you're not feeling hungry after all this."

"I'm not hungry." Neo smiled as a false-sour expression graced the young girl's face. "Look, thanks for the offer, but I really need to go somewhere."

"Oh really?" She asked inquisitively. "Where?"

"Somewhere." Neo said with a shrug. He hadn't seen Trinity since he'd made love to her, and he was feeling rather desperate to do so. Vivianna, however, was shooting him strange glances and eyeing the blemish on his neck. He hurriedly lifted his hand back to cover it. "Sorry, I'm starting to sound pretty mysterious, aren't I?"

She beamed, holding the thumb and index finger on her left hand together to stress her point. "Just a tad."

"Sorry." He apologized again.

"Don't worry." Vivianna said lightly. "Your personal life is none of my business. Hell, the Matron won't even tell me why I need to run you through all these tests. No one tells the poor, innocent, untalented apprentice anything these days."

"Didn't you say that the doctors wanted another x-ray?" Neo said through a laugh.

"Not until we've taken another blood sample. Hopefully the injection has kicked in by now."

Neo shot her a dark look.

"Don't worry." Vivianna said mockfully. "After we send this off, we'll take an x-ray and then hopefully you'll only have to wait another couple of hours before you'll have your results and you'll be able to get going."

Neo scowled, but as he was desperate to see Trinity, stuck out his arm nevertheless.

(o)

The last thing Trinity expected to see when she returned to her room so late during the day was a slightly disgruntled – but also cheerful – Neo sitting calmly on one of the two chairs at the rickety table in the kitchenette, staring vaguely into space.

"Neo!" She gasped, almost falling backwards in surprise. "What....where were you?"

"I was at hospital." Neo stated, smiling shyly as he spoke. "Oh, and it's nice to see you too."

Trinity froze, momentarily forgetting that he was still completing his medical tests. Neo grinned, seeing the look of dread flicker past her eyes. Such beautiful eyes....eyes that had been swimming with both love and lust for him only the night before.

"What were you doing there?" Trinity asked urgently, adapting to her usual commanding tone, although Neo was certain he detected a hint of fear masked within her voice.

"Well," He began, keeping his eyes on his arms, which were bent at the elbows and resting on the table. "I was running through the last stages of my medical testing...talking to Vivianna..." He paused to lift his head and added sheepishly. "....thinking about you."

Trinity said nothing in reply, but flopped into the chair opposite him without poise. It was then that he noticed that she was wearing the same off mauve, midriff shirt and short, buff coloured skirt as yesterday - the attire that revealed the most of her skin.

"What did you do?" He finally asked, eyes sparkling as they poured into her own, causing her to smile.

Trinity shrugged. "Woke up late, went looking for you, gave up, went for a walk, ran into Tank and spent some time with him, then I came back here."

"Did..." He trailed away, struggling to gain his courage before he continued. "Did you think about me?"

_Did she think about him? _From the moment she'd woken up only to realize just how late it was, and marveled at the fact that she had the ability to sleep in for so long, until she'd found him sitting quietly at the table in the late afternoon, he had been the only thing she'd had on her mind. The fact that she'd only just made love to him, and then had awoken only to have to spend an entire day without his company had proven to make it very difficult for her _not _to think about him.

"What do you think?" She asked rhetorically, stretching out a hand to grasp one of his, which was still resting on the table, and turn his palm over so she could clasp his hand properly, not taking her eyes away from his. Neo smiled as his only response, guiding his thumb soothingly across her knuckles.

It was strange to think that she was no longer a virgin, and had given herself to him only the night before....and it was even stranger to wake the next morning and realize that, although she may have believed it to, time had not stopped for the rest of Zion, and that life had actually continued for them last night. She spent the morning lounging around in bed, before rising to shower. It was in this period of time that she recalled the events of the previous night and finally managed to convince herself that it was not just some crazy dream...it was real...it had all happened...she had given herself to him fully and completely. But frankly, she couldn't have cared less about it. Neo was the only man she would ever want to be with anyway.

As she had wondered the streets of Zion in search of the man who had been on her mind all morning, she had almost expected someone to cast her a dirty look, to accuse her of making love to Neo. But of course, none of them knew what went on between the two of them last night, and none could see any apparent difference within her whatsoever – not even Tank, when she eventually ran into him...

"Oh," She said suddenly, breaking the period of comfortable silence between them. "Tank asked me to watch over Effa and Sef."

"Cas and Dozer's children?" Neo asked, to which Trinity nodded.

"Tank wants to take Cas out tonight...to give her a break. Link and Zee are going with them, so he asked me if I could watch over them when I ran into him today." She paused, hearing the stifled snort of laughter caught in the back of Neo's throat. "What is it?"

"Sorry." Neo apologized. "I just...I don't know. It's like trying to imagine you slaving over a hot stove. The image of you looking after children just doesn't seem to fit into reality either."

"Neither does the image of you playing in a band." She remarked, causing Neo's face to fall. However, she took it to mean something else. "You don't mind, do you? I mean, I didn't plan to spend the night looking after a bunch of kids, but...the family deserves a break."

"No, I don't mind." Neo replied. "Just don't expect me to be a big help. I'm kind of tired...and I'm not too good with kids."

"And you think I am?" Trinity raised an eyebrow in question.

Neo bent and shook his head, smiling to himself at the mental imagine in his mind of her wearing a frilly white apron and trying to keep a pair of children under control. "I guess not."

There was yet another silent pause, in which Neo was given the chance to think through all that had happened involving his testing thus far.

"Trin," Neo finally stated, lifting his head so he could again look her directly in the eye. "I think...I need to go and find Morpheus later. I have something I need to talk to him about."

"What?"

"The results I got back from my tests today." He said with a shrug, brushing it off as if it was of little importance to him, mostly as an attempt to make the news come easier to her.

"You got the results back?" Trinity cried, feeling her heart clench in her chest as she rose out of her chair angrily. "God, Neo, you should have told me earlier....w-what did they say?"

"Not much." Neo admitted. "The doctors thoroughly scanned the blood samples, x-rays and scans they'd made me suffer through only to tell me something I already knew."

"What?"

Neo smiled softly. "That I'm a one hundred percent, pure pod-born male in his late twenties who had incredibly good health for someone who had only been unplugged for a month."

"What about being the One?" She questioned. "There wasn't anything different about you that set you apart from other humans?"

"I'm still human, Trin." Neo defended, feeling her fingers tense against his hand on the table. "I'm only different in the Matrix, where I can use the power of the One. Here, I'm just Neo. At least I think that's the way it works, I'm not sure."

"So you're saying that all those tests were for nothing?" Trinity assumed bitterly.

Neo nodded softly, much to her annoyance. She tugged her hand away from his and stood so sharply that the chair behind her toppled to the ground. Her infuriation was both a result of the fact that they were yet to prove to the Council that he was the One, and of the fact that he'd been wasting his time suffering through pointless tests and observations when he could have been with her.

Neo struggled to hold in a laugh, having not expected this reaction from her when he broke the news to her. He watched as she stormed towards him with the intentions of passing him, but was stopped when he stuck out and arm and wrapped it round her waist out of pure instinct, and the impending desire he carried with him to hold her. He stood just as she turned to face him, and drew her closer to him, holding her in a tight embrace.

"I need to talk to Morpheus about getting another hearing with the Council." Neo explained, whispering his words into her ear as he held her against him tightly. "I think everyone would just be wasting their time on taking me through the physical tests. If my theory about being the One is right, then my body here will have inherited none of the powers my Matrix body has adapted to."

"You'll need to prove it to them, Neo." She whispered back, her voice muffled by his neck as she pressed her face into it. "Not everyone is going to be able to believe you as easily as I did."

"I know. We'll find a way, though. Don't worry." He held her tighter, running his hands soothingly up and down her back. He still could hardly believe that he'd made love to her only the night before...had been able to touch her...to feel her against him....Trinity...._the _Trinity...._his _Trinity.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her after a while, loosening his hold on her so she could move back enough to look him directly in the eye.

"I'm fine." She lied. In truth, some parts of her were sore, but it was a small price to pay for the memories she held with her. Memories of him. The way his eyes would glow when he made love to her...the way he felt...the way he touched her...the way he groaned when he entered her....the way he would whisper her name when he was inside of her....the depth and sincerity in his voice when he told her he loved her, just before he fell asleep. It was these memories, she realized, that would enable her to remember that everything they went through was worth it when they were back on the Nebuchadnezzar.

She allowed her eyes to travel over the smooth surface of his face, taking in each feature until they reached the right side of his neck, where she noticed a purple-blue blemish evident against his skin. Recalling a moment from the previous night, she felt her cheeks redden as she ran her fingers over the delicate skin.

"Did I do that?" She asked forwardly, circling the outline of the blemish. She felt as if her entire face was on fire with pure embarrassment, although Neo didn't seem to notice nor care.

"Yeah." He grinned playfully. "But it doesn't matter. I don't think anyone noticed."

(o)

"You know, that Vivianna girl is pretty self-assured." Neo commented later that night as he sat at the table in the kitchenette, watching both Effa and Sef bounce upon their bed gleefully. "She's only nineteen, but already knows who she is as a person, and what she plans to do with the rest of her life."

"You have to be like that in Zion." Trinity explained, becoming increasingly irritated by the fact that she couldn't take the cuffs of her sleeves in her hands, as she so liked to do. "Once you turn eighteen, that's it. You have to know by then what you plan to do with yourself or you'll end up being someone like Dwayne. You need to have decided on a career path at least a year before you're due to leave the academy."

"I still hadn't even decided on what I wanted to do with myself by the time I was unplugged. Although I suppose it's been decided for me now." He shivered, reminding himself of the thoughts he'd had only that morning about destiny. "Trin, do you believe in fate?"

Trinity took a moment to decide what her answer would be before she spoke. "I believe we chose our own fate. That our destiny has been decided, but we can make choices to alter it if we want to." She lifted her head to look at him inquisitively. "Why do you ask?"

"Just thinking." Neo said, raising and lowering one shoulder while smiling at the woman opposite him. "Do you think we should...you know...make them go to bed or something?"

Trinity shook her head firmly, casting a sideways glance at the two children. "They can stay up as long as they don't piss me off."

"I suppose they won't be staying up much longer, then." Neo said with a laugh, before his expression became stern once more, mostly because he was afraid of invading her privacy. "Can I ask you something?"

Trinity was slightly taken aback by his sudden change of tone, but did her best not to convey it. _When he speaks in that kind of voice, it always means that he wants to talk business. _

He waited until she'd nodded briefly from across the table before he continued. "What is it between you and the Matron?"

Trinity let out a breath of laughter, having not expected him to make such a comment. "I guess it's just...a personality clash. We've never been too friendly, you see."

"Well, she isn't the easiest person to get close to." Neo pondered. "I can't see why anyone would want to be her apprentice, even if it is for the right reasons."

He'd been thinking about this for some time, in amongst other things. Although he knew that she was intent on her medical career, Vivianna was the sort of person he thought was possible of achieving anything, and of being able to transfer to any career, when she'd finally grown tired of the Matron's stern orders. But there was one certain career track he had in mind for her.

"I think...I think Vivianna would make a good addition to our crew." Neo was finally able to stammer. He didn't want Trinity to think that he was making the suggestion for the 'wrong' reasons, and therefore had been reluctant to tell her what was on his mind until now. "She's smart, and determined, and she gets things done efficiently without complaining. In a way, she kind of reminds me of you, although no where near in comparison."

Trinity shot him a queer look, at first wondering why he would be so bothered about one teenage girl before she reminded herself that Neo was the One, and therefore automatically took it upon himself to solve even the minor problems that inflicted the human race, as pointless as they may seem. Even though he'd told her earlier that he believed his abilities could not stretch beyond the Matrix, she still thought that the One was still a part of Neo in the real world, which was why she always was able to get the impression that he cared about people more than himself each time she spoke to him. It seemed that although he may have changed over the course of his life, this was the one quality that had always remained with him, and always would.

_I suppose that his responsibility is partly my responsibility too. If he believes that Vivianna would be happier serving on board our ship, then I suppose that it's true. Although he is right when he says that there isn't another human being who has ever been so sure about their life and what they want to do with it. I don't see why Vivianna would want to change career paths now. But Neo has a knack for sensing the inner turmoil in other people. I know that from my own personal experience with him._

"Well, there are plenty of open crew positions, now." Trinity said thoughtfully. "You could recommend her to Morpheus when you go to see him about the tests tomorrow."

"Right." Neo said with a smile. Trinity was about to open her mouth to continue when she felt the presence of two sets of eyes on them and turned to see both children now staring at Neo with profound confusion.

"What?" Neo asked, catching the look on their eyes.

"What's on your neck?" Asked Sef, eyes wide with curiosity. His sister giggled beside him as Neo once again was forced to place a hand over the right side of his neck, rubbing it over the infected skin.

"You were right, my patience didn't last long." Trinity said irritably, casting Neo a sideways glance. "Looks like it's time for bed."

(o)

Trinity led the way out of the elevator the following morning after returning both Effa and Sef home. Neo stumbled along beside her, paying more attention to the loose thread on his powder blue, cotton shirt than the new level they'd only just emerged on.

Not a word past between them until Trinity paused just outside a door that did not differ from any of the others and knocked savagely on it several times. Neo took to her side just as the door was jerked open by a darkly, 'Zion dressed' Morpheus.

"Is this about the tests?" He asked immediately, as if he'd been expecting them to arrive any minute.

"How do you know?" Neo questioned.

"Word has already reached the Council and all others who are involved with the situation." He stood back, giving them access to the room. "Come inside, where we can't be overheard."

Morpheus's room hardly differed to Trinity's, with the exception of the layout and greater size. The table positioned directly in the center of the room was able to seat more than Trinity's, giving the impression that Morpheus was a more frequent entertainer than she was. Once the door had been closed securely and all three were seated at the table, Trinity began the conversation.

"So what does the Council make of all this?"

"I'm not sure, and so far they haven't asked for another hearing." Morpheus explained. "I am guessing that they're waiting to see what the results of the physical tests are, though I believe that they won't be anything out of the ordinary either."

"Morpheus, I don't think that my real body has any relation to my 'Residual Self Image'." Neo interrupted, wanting to ensure that he had the chance to say what he needed to. "Which means that, like it is with anyone else, my abilities as the One within the Matrix will have no effect on my physical and mental condition here."

"What he's trying to say is that the tests are pointless." Trinity said bluntly. "He's been wasting his time, because they can't determine anything."

"I know, I agree with you." Morpheus continued. "I knew right from the beginning that these tests would be meaningless, but unfortunately I have no power over the Council and their decisions. Besides, I still had hope that you were yet to prove me wrong, Neo."

"So what now?" Neo asked pitifully, hoping that someone might be able to tell him what he needed to do. "I can't prove that I'm the One unless I can jack into the Matrix. But I can't jack into the Matrix unless I leave Zion, which I'm forbidden to do until I've proven that I'm the One."

"I've already sorted it out, Neo." Morpheus said comfortingly. "When I found out what the results of your tests were, I went straight down to the dock to where the ship was being repaired. I was able to retrieve a few of the recorded files from your training sessions before you became the One, demonstrating some of the potential you showed to us even then. I gave these files to Councilor Hamann with the promise of more to come if we were allowed to leave Zion as early as this afternoon. I figured that if we could record some of the things you do in the Matrix and then send them back to Zion, that perhaps the Council will see enough reason to believe in you."

"So I guess it's really just a waiting game now." Trinity said. "You think that those files will be enough?"

"I'm almost certain." Morpheus said firmly. "Neo's progress during his training sessions moved much further along than any other person I've encountered before, which is partly why I decided to take you to see the Oracle earlier than others. I doubt that the Council will be able to disagree with me."

"Thank you, Morpheus." Neo said gratefully, glad that he was not the one forced to sort the situation out. Already he was tired of being pressured by others to make things happen, and he'd only had to deal with it for a month. He could hardly imagine what it would be like to suffer from such severe pressure throughout his entire life.

"I'll send a message to you when the Council has made their decision." Morpheus smiled kindly. "Until then, your time is your own."

Trinity nodded and stood to leave, though Neo remained seated. He had silently been planning the conversation he wanted to address to Morpheus, and somehow knew that it would only be uncomfortable for him to have her in the room at the time.

"I'll catch up with you later." He said quietly. Trinity raised a fine eyebrow, but nodded once more and left the room briskly, knowing full well what he intended to speak about.

"Morpheus, I need to talk to you about filling the other crew positions." Neo stated once Trinity had left. "I know this girl, you see. Her name's Vivianna, and she's nineteen. You might know her because she's the apprentice to the Matron. I know she's young, but that didn't stop you from keeping Trinity on board when you unplugged her. Vivianna's smart, strong and determined. I think she could do so much more than-"

"Neo." Morpheus interrupted harshly, putting an end to Neo's ramblings. "Vivianna chose to take the career path of a nurse, and I'm sure she sees no reason not to want to continue with that occupation. Also, I do not intend to fill the other crew positions just yet. I'm sure you'll understand that I believe that things will be easier if we keep the crew smaller for now, for reasons of your protection from the publicity of Zion. Even so, you told me that this Vivianna is nineteen, one year younger than the minimum age for applying for a position on a ship."

"Trinity told me that twenty was the minimum age for unplugging a person, and not for applying to work on board a ship." Neo argued.

"The same rule applies for both." Morpheus reasoned. "So far, I have only ever made three acceptations to that rule, and they are exceptions I do not plan to make again for the sake of the reasons I've stated above. The first exception to the rules was you, considering you are well above the age of unplugging. The second was Mouse, who was only a year bellow the age for applying for a job on the ship. But at the time, his programming skills were required so greatly that I was forced to lie about his age to the Council. The third exception was Trinity, whom, as you undoubtedly know, is a very powerful individual.

"That's true." Neo said with a smirk, remembering the time he fought Trinity in the dojo before he became the One.

"May I ask why you seem so intent on having Vivianna on board our ship?" Morpheus continued curiously.

"I don't know." Neo said with a shrug. "I guess I just think that she'd be able to help us...like she should be doing something more with her life. Like I said, she's got skill."

"Undoubtedly." Morpheus agreed. "But she's already found her own path. I suggest that you stop worrying about others for the time being and try to focus on yourself. I know that as the One, you must feel inclined to want to help the rest of your species to achieve greater things. But you have enough to worry about as it is, without focusing on the needs of others. Let Vivianna make her own decisions."

(o)

"I didn't know we could record things off the Matrix." Neo thought aloud to himself, repeating the steps of Morpheus's plan in his mind to better understand them.

"It's just like downloading things off a computer and then transferring them onto a disk, Neo. It is possible." Trinity explained, turning to face him as she spoke. "Although obviously, the images will appear encoded."

Neo faced her, but tried and failed not to stare at the soft white, kimono-like gown she wore which clung to her body tightly. They were now walking aimlessly around the ground floors of Zion, having grown restless of waiting for Morpheus's promised message to arrive for them in their room.

"What do you think I'll have to do...when we get back on the Neb, I mean." Neo questioned.

"I don't know." She answered truthfully. "Maybe Morpheus will take you to see the Oracle again. She'll be able to tell us what we can do from here."

"Doesn't the prophecy say anything about what I'm meant to do next?"

Trinity paused, twisting to face him completely. She hated to answer his question, because she knew that the answer was not one he wanted to hear, and at that moment, she would have liked nothing better than to lie to him.

_Who says I can't lie to him?_

"Do you want me to lie to you?" She asked, her expression stern. She waited until Neo nodded timidly before she spoke again, a smile gradually spreading across her lips. "Yes, the Oracle is a very informative person who never has the nerve to pry into other people's business, and always keeps your grim, unwanted future to herself unless you want to hear it, and then she'll tell you straight away without speaking cryptically at all so you can understand everything she says. The prophecy tells us everything your meant to do from now on, so your whole future has been decided for you, and you won't have to do any serious, deep thinking at all. The Oracle does not have the ability to turn your world around completely, and by the end of the war, everyone you know and care about will be alive, healthy and well....living happily ever after."

Neo let out a breath of laughter as they continued walking. _How can she do that? How can she take a grim situation, manage to tell me the truth, and still keep me feeling in a good mood?_

His thoughts were broken when he heard the sound of Trinity's name, and turned to see Dwayne waving frantically to them through the bustling crowd. Sighing with frustration, Trinity took Neo's wrist and tugged him after her.

"What now?" She asked him rudely. "And if you have a message for me, please get straight to the point."

"Oh, I like a woman with character." Dwayne growled.

Trinity said nothing, but was gracing him with the full extent of her iceberg-that-sunk-the-titanic look.

"Fine, fine, I'll give you your message." Dwayne sighed, wiping the sweat off his bushy, tawny brow. "Your precious little captain says that you and lover-boy need to be at the dock as soon as you can, ready to leave. Sadly for me, the Council says that it's time for you to go."

"They've agreed to let us leave?" Neo exclaimed, not daring to believe it himself.

"On the condition that you deliver at least a shred of proof by the date they've arranged with your captain." Dwayne added with a shrug. "Whatever that means."

"Well thank you for being straightforward for once." Trinity sighed in aggravation, secretly basking in the joy that accompanied the sensation of finally being able to leave the comforts of Zion after so long. Neo could tell from the expression on her face that she could hardly wait to get back on the ship, and privately he agreed with her.

"I guess I'll see you soon, beautiful." Dwayne smirked, quirking an eyebrow seductively. "I'll be waiting for you."

Trinity ignored him, and strode through the oncoming crowd towards the elevator. An already enraged Neo turned to follow, but was stopped when Dwayne called out loudly, attracting the attention of several bystanders.

"Hey lover-boy, what's that thing on your neck?"

Neo automatically clamped a hand over the right side of his neck to cover the blemish and – feeling his cheeks redden dramatically – went in pursuit of the woman who gave it to him.

(o)

"God, you both take a long time to change and pack." Tank commented when Trinity and Neo met him and Morpheus outside the newly repaired Nebuchadnezzar at the dock. "Unless, you were both doing _other _things."

"Shut up, Tank." Trinity scathed, following a bemused Morpheus up the ramp that led to the core and dumping her bags on the floor.

"Have you noticed that she's starting to sound a lot like Apoc?" Tank said cheerily as Neo adjusted the strap of one of his bags against his shoulder, causing the rough material of his seemingly cotton over-shirt to scratch against his skin. He was yet to become familiar with the attire he was forced to wear on board the ship again, after spending three days in nothing but bare feet and thin, flimsy material.

He had to admit that it did feel good to ascend the ramp to the ship. After being parted with it and it's lifestyle for scarcely three days, it felt as if he was, ironically, stepping into an entirely different world. Indeed, the routine of Zion was very different to life on board the Neb.

As he and Tank neared the top of the ramp, he felt the presence of eyes lingering on his back, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to prickle insanely. Turning sharply to see what had caused him to react in this way, he almost let out a cry of shock when he met with a pair of huge, penetrating green eyes that were uncontrollably bulging larger than the eyes of ordinary humans.

"Hey, who's your friend?" Asked Tank, turning to see what had caught the other man's attention. "She's pretty cute...........in her own; weird way."

Lorena stood in the center of the suspending metallic path that led to the dock which the Nebuchadnezzar was resting at, still dressed in the earth brown dress she'd worn when Neo'd met her in the Zionist club the previous night. She was standing perfectly still, not even daring to blink, so much in fact that the people who wanted to pass had to swerve around her to carefully avoid a collision. If it hadn't been for the soft breeze blowing through the long coils of butter blonde hair that spilled down her back to her waist, or the way her flat stomach would curve inwards uncontrollably – the effect that had attracted the attention of the surrounding men – he would have thought she was nothing more than a statue.

"Who is she?" He whispered to Tank, hoping that he may have some clue as to who her true identity was.

"Beats me." Tank said with a shrug. "I thought she knew you and Trinity, because she followed both of you all the way over here."

"She followed us?" Neo gawked. _If she's been able to move so silently like that, then she could have been trailing around after me the entire time I've been in Zion._

"Come on," Tank summoned, clamping Neo firmly on the shoulder. "We gotta go."

Neo nodded and, casting one final look at Lorena, followed Tank up the ramp and allowed it to close behind him to form a wall on the ship.

"Chuck your stuff here." Tank ordered, tossing his two bags beside Trinity's and Morpheus's. "We both need to get to the cockpit, and stay there until the ship's left Zion. You can come back for it later."

Neo did as he was told, and let Tank lead him to the ladder that ascended to the cockpit, only half listening to the other man's ramblings. His mind was far too preoccupied with other things.

"When there was a full crew here, I used to make sure I was the last person to get on board the ship when we were leaving Zion. That way, I could spend more time with my family, and I wouldn't have to worry about working in the cockpit. Only the first four people on board the ship need to be in the cockpit when the ship takes off, and the rest have to assemble in the core. I hated working in the cockpit, because everything is way too boring and serious, and all you have to do is stand around while Morpheus and Trinity get the ship off the ground. But now that there's only four of us I guess it does- hey, is something wrong, Neo?"

"Huh?" Neo said, breaking from his silent revere. "Oh...sorry. Just thinking."

"And I thought I had issues." Tank grinned as they reached the base of the ladder. "Hey, what's that on your neck?"

"Nothing." Neo stumbled hurriedly, taking hold of one of the rudders and hoisting himself upwards towards the cockpit. Tank followed, chuckling to himself as he climbed.

Neo knew that he shouldn't have been thinking about Lorena. Morpheus had only told him a few hours ago that he needed to be more focused on himself than others for now, and shouldn't take the personal issues of Zionists upon himself, no matter how much they begged them to help him when they discovered he was the One. But even so, he could tell that something was definitely wrong with Lorena...like she needed his help. He'd always been unnerved by the problems of others in the Matrix, and felt an urge to solve them.

Obviously, nothing had changed.

(o)

Does anyone know, for refference in later chapters, if Charra- that random who fought with Zee in the war in Matrix Revolutions, was pod-born or Zion-born? Please answer me in you reviews.


	22. Thinking back and understanding

22

Trinity groaned, ripping her grey knit over-shirt off and sinking onto the bed, reaching up behind her to massage her aching shoulders. They'd only been flying on board the ship for six hours and already she was suffering from the same muscle tension that always effected her if she'd done too much work. She had never suffered from pain in her muscles when still in the Matrix, but now that her mind was free, her real body seemed to have to deal with it every day. She supposed that it came from an overload of work, because it never troubled her when in Zion.

The door to the room was wrenched open with a loud creek, and she looked up abruptly, letting her hands fall slack beside her. Neo stepped into the room quietly, shutting the door softly behind him and not uttering a sound until he'd sat beside her on the bed.

"How long do we have?" He asked, casting her a sideways glance. Trinity knew instantly what he meant.

"My next shift is in three hours." She replied, fiddling with the straps of her under-shirt. Catching the flaming flicker of light dance across his coffee coloured eyes when she met with them briefly, she stared up at him completely with an inquisitive look. "What?"

"N-Nothing." He stammered, bringing his attentions back to the faded cotton pants he wore. They felt particularly tight and uncomfortable around the waistband, and didn't completely cover his legs, which was why he figured they had once belonged to Mouse.

He knew that he shouldn't have been feeling the way he did then. But the fact that Trinity was sitting beside him so frigidly, her body tense and tight with dark waves of hair spilling down the sides of an soulful, white face made it hard for him to keep himself under control. As much as he wanted to touch her, he knew it was impossible to do so when on the Nebuchadnezzar....not when anyone could hear them. Instead of taking note of each elegant, feminine curve of her body framed by the black over-shirt and navy cotton pants she wore, he focused on her hands, resting neatly on her lap. Such delicate hands...the colour of white clouds with long, spindling fingers and glossy, short-cut fingernails. They seemed so fragile, incapable of the hard work she'd completed only moments before. Each fine line of her hands was drawn to perfection...like it had been taken from a portrait painted by a famous artist and placed on the ends of her wrists.

She had lovely wrists too. So slender, white and feminine....like her arms. The silvery plugs around her biceps tightened when his eyes roamed over them, letting him know that she'd realized what he was doing. Her shoulders were just as captivating...fair, white and simply beautiful. But it was her neck that had him entranced. It's colour even, ivory and full of life....curved beautifully into a perfect silhouette....an enigmatic silhouette of pure and utmost flawlessness.

Trinity now understood what the look he'd showered upon her earlier now meant. And now that they'd already made love to reach other, she couldn't see why she shouldn't feel unable to kiss him without feelings of insecurity. She drew herself closer to him, placing a long, soft, teasing kiss squarely upon his lips, breaking it before he could deepen it any further.

"Something wrong?" He asked curiously when she pulled away, momentarily forgetting reasons for why they shouldn't let themselves get carried away.

"No, no. It's just..." She trailed off, unsure of how to phrase her statement. She didn't want Neo to think that she didn't want him....didn't need him. But she felt uncomfortable with discussing her insecurity for doing anything on board the ship, where they were in danger of being discovered or heard by Morpheus or – even worse – Tank.

"What?" He pestered in a tone that showed he clearly demanded an answer. She etched away from him, subconsciously tugging at the blankets covering the double bed that had once belonged to Switch and Apoc. A bed wasn't the only thing she and Neo had in common with the deceased couple now. Both saw – or had seen – Zion as the only place they could feel free to express their love.

"It's just...we need to rest." She said hurriedly, keeping her eyes on her lap. "Well, I need to, at least. I'm meant to be watching over the core in three hours." She didn't tell him that she was afraid of Tank marching into their room to awake her for her shift only to see....something he definitely shouldn't see.

Neo nodded understandingly, knowing full well that this was not the only reason she wanted to leave things as they were. Perhaps, as it had been with their relationship, the tension would ease with time, and she wouldn't feel the need to hide their love from everyone. Although he had to admit, he was never the sort of person who was too public about his personal life either.

"How long is your shift?" He asked, standing and moving across the room to rummage through his belongings. The pants he wore were chaffing his legs unbearably, and he was almost certain the blood would stop circulating in his lower body if he didn't change them soon.

"Hopefully not too long." Trinity answered, bending over the side of the bed to unbuckle her boots. "I'd say three or four hours tops. But I'm inclined to work overtime."

"What do you think Morpheus is going to want me to do?" Neo wondered aloud, remembering the conversation the Nebuchadnezzar's four crewmates had held earlier that day when they'd taken off from Zion's dock, leaving the comforts and safety of the last city of mankind behind them. "The Council didn't give us a large amount of time to send some proof back to them in Zion. And besides, I don't even know what I'm meant to be doing...as the One, I mean."

"I know." Trinity said thoughtfully. "Maybe we should go back to the Oracle and ask her what we should do."

"Maybe." Neo shrugged. "Or maybe I'm supposed to figure this out on my own. If that's true, then it means I have a lot of thinking to do."

"Don't worry about it." Trinity comforted. "Just try and get some sleep for now."

Neo turned back to face her, smiling and wearing nothing but a fresh set of pants. Trinity switched off the small light system used in their room, then shuffled backwards in the bed, allowing him to slide in next to her and pull the blankets up to their waist. He pressed his naked chest into her back, draping an arm over her stomach, and nuzzled his head into her neck until both had fallen sound asleep.

(o)

Neo rolled off his stomach and onto his back sometime later, causing him to wake. He stretched out both hands only to feel cold, empty patches on either side of him, and cracked open both eyes, shifting so he was sitting upright in the bed.

It must have been sometime in the very early hours of the morning, because the ship's main lighting system had not come on yet. He scrambled out of bed and felt his way along the walls until he came to the switch that operated the room's own lighting system and flicked it on, giving his eyes time to adjust to the artificial stream of light.

"Shit." He muttered to himself, hurriedly gathering his clothes and pulling them on, then reaching for his boots. He hoped that Trinity hadn't been working too long, especially while he'd been lazing around in bed when he should have been up to take her shift. He knew for a fact that she wouldn't have woken him to change shifts even if she needed to. Not for the sake of their relationship, but for the sake of her own determination and pride.

He raced along the corridor, climbing the ladder to the main deck and then taking long, swift strides towards the core, continuously cursing himself inwardly for being such a late sleeper. He didn't like knowing that she'd worked overtime, for the sake of her own health. Even if she'd taken longer shifts than this before, he knew that even Trinity needed to take a break once and a while.

He reached the core, only to see her sitting comfortably in front of the consol, tapping a few keys and staring intently at the three screens that displayed the neon, raindrop coding that was the Matrix. She didn't notice his presence until he was close enough to see the brilliant green tinge of the coding reflected on the surface of her pale skin, the electronic light flashing in her wide, blue eyes, and see what image she was viewing within the Matrix that had so easily captured her attention.

He couldn't remember ever learning to use the code, and there certainly wasn't a training program designed to teach him it. He later supposed that he automatically learnt to read the code when he became the One, as a result of the fact that he was able to read it at will when he was inside the Matrix. Perhaps this was the only source of power he was able to use in both worlds, though unfortunately it was not enough proof to convince the Council that he was the One.

Trinity had zoomed in on a girl of about nineteen, doing stomach crunches in what appeared to be some sort of public gym. She was fair, with a light, even tan to her skin and an elegant, feminine figure. She had high cheekbones, and a smooth even face that was flushed and dripping with sweat from such an intense workout, causing her shoulder length waves of princess blonde hair to cling to the sides of her face. She was dressed simply in electric blue gym shorts, scruffy sneakers without socks, and a plain white, full sleeved shirt with sweat bands around both her wrists and her forehead, yet she had attracted the attention of every man in the room. This was not just because of the fact that she was the _only _woman in the room, but, in Neo's opinion, was because of her startling ice blue eyes....Trinity's eyes.

"Who is she?" Neo asked quietly, peering over her shoulder and placing both hands on the back of Trinity's chair. She let out a gasp of surprise, tilting her head upwards only to see him standing over her.

"God Neo, you scared me." She panted, trying to calm her now racing nerves. She hadn't expected to be disturbed for another few hours, and his deep voice came as a shock to her after a long period of complete and utter silence.

"Sorry." He mumbled, smiling shyly down upon her until she lifted her head, bringing her attentions back to the screen. Curious, Neo leaned in further to get a better look, causing Trinity to feel slightly uncomfortable. She zoomed back out of the gym, showing Neo that it was located in the penthouse of a large building in the heart of New York, sometime in the late night.

"When did you learn to read the code?" Trinity asked him, trying to bring his attentions back to something other than what she'd been doing. She couldn't even remember anyone ever telling him what the code was, let alone how to decipher it.

"I didn't. That's what's so strange about it." Neo frowned in concentration. "In the Matrix, when I first became the One, I remember I could read the code from inside the Matrix itself at will if I wanted to....as in literally be able to see it as we are seeing it now on the screens. I guess that because of this, I can also read the code within the real world without even having to learn to." He paused, lips stretching into a smile. "Sorry, that probably didn't make any sense."

"No, it made perfect sense." Trinity replied with a smile equivalent to his own – mostly because she'd managed to deter is interest from the girl in the gym. "I guess you were wrong when you said that your body here in the real world didn't take on any of the qualities of your body in the Matrix."

"It's the only quality this body has managed to inherit so far." He reasoned. "But I suppose your right. I could end up surprising myself again."

He could still see the girl through the window of the gym, and couldn't help but let his curiosity get the better of him. He could tell that Trinity obviously would rather not talk about her, but he did have a pretty good idea as to who she was anyway.

"Is that...?" He began, but saw no need to finish. Trinity sighed heavily, realizing that there was no point in trying to avoid talking about it. She didn't see why she should keep things from Neo anyway...he already knew so much about her.

"That's my sister." She said bluntly, tapping a few keys to zoom back in on the girl. "The younger one. Faith."

"Thought so." He answered, leaning over her to type a combination that would rotate the screen and give him a better view of the young girl. He had no idea how he'd learnt how to do that either. "She's pretty."

"No," Trinity said impatiently, feeling all the emotions she'd been holding secure beneath her skin for the past four hours she'd been working (or in other words, staring at her sister) erupted from within her. "She's gorgeous. The sort of girl Mouse would have gone crazy over....a real-life replica of the Woman in Red. Now can you see why I never considered myself 'beautiful'?"

Neo shook his head, unable to believe his ears. _How can she put herself down so easily? Why can't she see just how beautiful she is...how wonderful she is...how easy it was for me to become enraptured by her? God, why does she have to put herself down all the time, when anyone else can plainly see that she's the most goddamn beautiful thing in this world?_

"No," Neo said firmly, perhaps with a little anger entwined with his words. It was this tone that caused her to bend backwards again, in order to stare up into his eyes and see the sincerity within them that did not once flicker as he spoke. "No, I don't see. Sure, I have to admit that you're right in saying she's beautiful. Hell, I can even see you somewhere inside her when I look at her. She has your figure...and your eyes. But she doesn't have the same meaning behind them...the same power that I see whenever I look at you. But in a way, I suppose it's like yin and yang. She may be beautiful....the kind of beautiful Mouse was attracted to...the kind of beautiful you see on the cover of magazines. But it's not your kind of beautiful. Your kind of beautiful is the kind that you can rarely find anywhere else in the world. Beauty in strength...." He bent to kiss the top of her forehead, breaking away temporarily between each sentence fragment to whisper into her hair. "...enigmatic...angelic.........'Dark Angel'."

Trinity felt tears prickling in the corners of her eyes, but pushed them away hurriedly, willing herself not to cry, although it was a battle that she nearly lost. In truth, this was definitely the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said about her...it made her feel beautiful; and powerful at the same time. No longer would she experience feelings or thoughts of anxiety when it came to the way she looked. As Neo had said, she may not have been the super-model gorgeous her sister had turned out to be, but it didn't matter. When she was with him...she _felt _beautiful....more beautiful than she could ever imagine. And although she knew it was stupid to be obsessing over looks, she simply couldn't deny that the knowledge within itself all but guaranteed her internal happiness.

He must have seen the tears in her eyes, because he looked down upon her, eyes filled with concern. "Sorry, did I get carried away?"

"No." She said with a firm shake of her head, stretching a hand upwards and running her fingers along his jawbone. "Thank you."

Due to the fact that the position she was in was becoming far too uncomfortable to uphold any longer, she drew her hand back and sat up properly in the chair, turning her attentions back to the screens just time to see Faith sit up and wipe her face with a cloth, taking a long swig from her water bottle. Obviously, her little sister would fail to interest the two of them for much longer.

"Want to meet the rest of my family?" She asked, already zooming out of the gym and into the heart of New York city.

"Yeah," Neo replied, bringing one hand from the back of the chair to her shoulder, massaging it through the strong material of her grey knit over-shirt. He couldn't have known it, but he was actually managing to ease away some of the tension in her shoulders. "Sure."

Trinity began typing frantically to bring them away from the gym and to an apartment several blocks away. She zoomed in through a window on the fourth story, that led to a living room, where a man who was about in his late fifties was slouched in a large armchair wearing a tattered red dressing gown and slippers. He was watching the television, holding a mug of coffee in one wrinkled hand and scratching the ears of a dog with the other. He was overweight and balding, with only a few fine grey hairs growing atop his head that might have once been the same colour as Trinity's, with rich, dark eyes and a liver spot just above one ear.

"So I take it this is your father?" Neo asked, peering at the neon coding.

Trinity nodded. "Remember when I told you that Faith had to move in with him after, well...you know." She waited until Neo nodded understandingly in reply before she continued. "Col came to New York after he left us, and this is where he and Faith are now. Just the two of them. He never had anyone else. Well, not any long lasting relationships anyway."

"What happened? Between him and your mother, I mean." Neo asked, before he realized it wasn't his place to say so. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"It's alright." Trinity smiled tightly, figuring that there was no point in keeping anything from him anymore. "I don't know what happened, really. After he left, my mother was too shattered to explain anything to me, and it was the same for Hope, my older brother...although he didn't stay long after Col left, as I've probably already told you. It happened so long ago, anyway, so I can hardly remember any of it. All I can remember is that they used to fight all the time...he was an alcoholic, and even though he always brought home plenty of money, he almost always wasted half of it at the local pub. My mother, Felicity, used to wait up late for him, until he'd stagger home long after I was meant to be in bed. Then, I would hear them screaming and shouting at each other from downstairs, and sometimes I would hear a smash, and then wake up the next morning to see that something had been broken, and there was a gash of blood or a bruise on Felicity's forehead. By the time I was eleven, he'd moved out."

"God, I'm sorry." Neo muttered. He'd heard Trinity speak about her traumatic childhood before, but she'd never actually spoken about it in this depth. It was hard for him to believe that the woman who'd approached him in that club what seemed like almost an eternity ago (when really it was only just over a month), was a person who had gone through so many different traumatizing events, and still managed to move on from there, which was something he knew that he wouldn't have been able to do. It only came as further proof to him to show why she was able to develop such a strong character in the real world.

"This isn't my real family." Trinity reasoned with him. "Not biologically, anyway. But....I-I still feel connected to them in some way. The Matrix was able to build up the illusion that this was my real family...something I believed in throughout the years of my childhood. These are the people who raised me, Neo. The people who made me who I am today. That's why I still call them my family."

"I know." Neo whispered, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. He could feel her shivering beneath him. "Listen, if you'd rather stop doing this..."

Trinity shook her head firmly. "No, I'm fine. I think this is helping, actually....I haven't even tried to find my brother for ages."

She typed them out of New York and zoomed across America, scanning the country for a once familiar pattern of coding. After a while of silent searching, she found what she'd been looking for and brought them down to a suburban house in San Francisco, where two boys were sleeping together in a small bedroom. The one next to it was owned by a young girl, and the large room across the hall belonged to a young woman, also sound asleep.

"This is his family, I'm sure of it." Trinity squinted at the coding as if expecting something else to appear. "I just can't seem to find him."

"Hang on." Neo said suddenly, causing Trinity to jump. He had only just remembered a conversation they'd shared once about their brothers sometime just before Trinity had told him the entire story of her family. "Is this the same brother that used to make life a living hell for you when you were growing up?"

"I only have one brother, Neo." Trinity scowled. "And he's come a long way since then. I still hate him for what he did...it was his fault for what happened to Felicity. She may have been able to remain stable if it wasn't for him, you see. The divorce was hard enough, but the fact that her only son ran away and didn't tell her where he was going, what he planned to do, and never called to let her know that he was alive and well made things worse. But I suppose that running away was the best thing that ever happened to him. He used to be purposeless, and lived his life without meaning. For a while Felicity was even afraid that he'd commit suicide, like Charity did. But he's changed now. He has a family....has a job....has a life. I guess you could say that he lived up to the meaning of his name and was able to find hope when no one else in our family could."

Just as the words left her mouth, a man who was approximately somewhere in his mid thirties strode down the path, leading a large dog on a leash and looking rather content with himself. He had a strong build, with short, scruffy ebony hair that didn't look as though it had ever been properly combed, and ice blue eyes almost completely hidden beneath a floppy fringe. Neo said nothing, watching as the man paused outside his house to gloat at his success, and then pulled open the front gate, removed the leash on the dog and let it sprint round to the backyard. He then shut the gate, unlocked, and relocked the front door to his house once he was inside, crept upstairs and ventured into the rooms of his three sleeping children, placing a gentle kiss on their foreheads before returning to his own bedroom, changed, then nestled up beside his wife, allowing sleep to claim him.

"He seems nice." Neo commented once Hope had fallen asleep.

"He is...well, at least he is now. Like I said, I think running away from home was the best decision he ever made...for his sake, but perhaps not for the sake of anyone else."

"Do you think..." Neo began awkwardly. He wasn't sure if Trinity would like to answer his question. "Do you think he ever thinks about you, and the rest of your family?"

"Yes." Trinity replied almost instantly. "I'm sure he still thinks about us sometimes....like me, he realizes that he can never fully leave and forget his childhood, even if, as I've come to know, it really was all a lie, and none of it ever did happen. It's still a memory inside of your mind...still something that could last forever. I know he feels this way because he named his only daughter Stephanie."

"That was your Matrix name, wasn't it?" Neo asked, to which Trinity nodded. "I guess you're right about that, then."

She zoomed away from the house, tracing the code lazily, as if she wasn't moving in any apparent direction. For a while, Neo thought that she was now simply scanning the entire country without any specific aim, until he realized that she was heading towards New Jersey – the state she'd once told him she'd grown up in.

Without saying a word, she focused the code on some sort of hospital...a mental hospital. There was a woman sitting in a chair by the window, who looked to be in about her mid fifties. She was staring at the wall opposite her lifelessly, with an empty, spacey look spread across her face. She seemed old and brittle, as if she was literally wasting away in that chair...just waiting for death to claim her. Neo didn't need to ask who she was, even though she shared no resemblance to Trinity whatsoever.

"Her hair used to be like Faith's." Trinity said, her voice thick and hoarse as she ran her index finger down the woman's long, silvery hair. "And eyes like mine." She traced around the pattern of the woman's dull, teal eyes. "She changed completely both physically and mentally after both Col and Hope had left. That's why she ended up here."

Neo blinked, having come to a sudden realization as he continued to rub Trinity's shoulder soothingly. It was then that he became the first person ever (including Trinity herself) to ever fully understand the reasons why she had become the person she was. It was not because she was born that way, nor was it because she was simply, as Cypher had put it, a 'Cold Hard Bitch'. It wasn't even because of what the Oracle had told her about falling in love with the One. It was because of the influences she'd had from her past.

Her fear of falling in love did not come from the Oracle's prophecy – although that hardly helped the situation in any way. Her fear of falling in love had started back when she was eleven, which explained why she never had a boyfriend or any sort of relationship when she was still plugged in. Her parents divorce had resulted in her fear of ever wanting to love someone, or have their children, lest she end up in the same situation as her mother.

The fact that she had always been cold and unemotional was also not helped by the Oracle's prophecy of future love that had left her feeling so confused when he'd first come into her life, but it was because of the way she was treated within a social situation. He remembered a conversation they'd once shared while repairing the cockpit together...

"So," He had asked randomly, thinking of things he could say to pass the time as they worked. "What would you say is the baddest thing you've ever done?"

Trinity had shot him a curious look from behind the engine she was fixing, signaling that she'd thought it an incredibly strange topic. "Well, I have killed people..."

"No, I meant before you were unplugged." Neo said through a laugh. "What's the worst thing you ever did then?"

Trinity had been at first hesitant to reply, but then gradually began to speak. "I might have told you this before, but I think I should repeat myself...so you can know where I'm coming from. Before I turned ten, I used to let everyone walk all over me, and took their abuse without complaint, though I was secretly deciding on the best way to murder them in my mind. But soon, I couldn't take it anymore, and just....cracked. I became cold and unfeeling. I'm not even sure why exactly. All I know is that my life got better from then on. People became afraid of me...too afraid to even want to talk to me, let alone befriend me....but I never did get picked on again. There were still those who thought that I was a pushover, and decided they wouldn't listen to what others said and target me anyway. But I always got my revenge."

"Oh really?" Neo said with a smirk. "What did you do to them?"

"Sabotaged their house, car, and other belongings...sent them death threats...stole from them. Actually, I used to steal all the time, but only after my father left us, and my mother was struggling to provide for us. At first, I only stole small things...like a packet of gum from the general store. But as I grew older, and we became poorer, I started to steal bigger things, and much more frequently. When my mother couldn't afford to buy me new clothes when I desperately needed them, I went to the mall and stole designer brands. When I couldn't afford to buy my younger sister a birthday present, I stole her an expensive doll from a toyshop. When we couldn't afford to pay the bills, I stole money from the collection plate at church and told my mother that I had found myself a part time job. I didn't get caught until I tried to steal a laptop valued at over six thousand dollars."

"Six thousand dollars?" Neo had gawked. "God, why so expensive?"

Trinity shrugged, pushing herself out from behind the engine to assist him with the cockpit's main control board. "If I was going to steal, then I was going to steal something good. Unfortunately, a security guard spotted me and chased me all the way to the car park. Some idiot had left the keys in their car and had gone shopping. Seeing no other way out, I stole the car, and started to drive it out of the mall. I crashed before I'd even gotten around one corner, simply because I was just too short to drive. I was arrested and taken to juvenile court- but certainly not for the last time. Luckily, they only let me off with having to do over one hundred hours of community service."

He had laughed at the situation then, but now realized just how much it had effect on her attitude. Already, she had been feared within her schooling community, but this only made matters worse. Also, in being brought to court so many times, she must have learnt that the best way to get herself out of trouble, was to keep herself as detached as possible. You would never get hurt that way....never end up somewhere you didn't want to be.

She probably didn't even understand the reasons why her character had been built the way it was herself. But she was right in saying that it was her family that had raised her to be who she was. It seemed as if they were the reason why she was the Trinity he had come to know and love...but he supposed that now their influence was evaporating, and being replaced by the influence he had on her now...and the influence she had on herself. But it wasn't like being unplugged from the Matrix- something that could happen almost instantly. It would take plenty of time for her to completely open up to him (not that she hadn't opened up enough already), and he doubted that she'd ever be as free and willing to feel as the average human. Not that he wasn't like her too....he was never really a social success himself.

Trinity stared at the withered face of her mother, feeling herself grow steadily closer to tears. She hadn't seen Felicity in so long...and now, the woman sitting in the chair was hardly recognizable...not living up to the meaning of her name at all. She felt at a loss, finally feeling the emotional stress of looking back on the past she'd rather forget fall down on her like a ton of bricks, and it hurt just as much. Hurt to see the woman she had once believed to be her mother wasting away...without purpose...without belief...without hope for a better future.

It was then that she felt a pair of firm arms close in around her from behind, wrapping around her shoulders and draping over her chest. At once, she was filled with a comforting sensation...as if someone had ignited a flame inside her, causing her to warm to the gentle kiss that was placed upon her cheek.

"I'll take you to see them." He whispered into her ear. "All of them."

"They're too spread out." Trinity reasoned. "It would take too long, and time is always against you when you jack in."

"I don't care." Neo whispered in that same, bland tone, causing Trinity to smile.

"No, Neo, I don't want to." Trinity refused, speaking the exact words that were on her mind. "I don't need to see them again. Unlike you, I'm ready to move on."

"Who says I'm not?" Neo frowned. "I just want to see them again for the sake of proving that their assumptions were wrong about me. I never cared about them the way you care about your family."

"I wouldn't say that's true." She whispered, shifting his arms so she could stand and offer him the chair. "Anyway, it's your shift now. Morpheus said I was meant to teach you how to read the code of an Agent, so you could tell if something was happening. Obviously, you don't need me to, so I guess I'll leave you to it."

"What do I look at?" Neo wondered, glancing uncertainly at the Matrix screens.

Trinity shrugged. "Anything you want. But I promise you that by the end of your shift, you would have scanned the Matrix for each and every member of your family at least once."

Neo snorted, finding the very possibility absurd. He had never been emotionally attached to his family in any way, which was why he had nothing to consider losing when he accepted the red pill and was able to choose so quickly. Although he did want to see them again in the Matrix...just to show them that they were wrong, he was almost completely sure that he'd moved on.

"In your dreams."

_No, I have a feeling that I'll be dreaming about something else tonight. _Trinity thought to herself, eyeing Neo up and down. The clothes he wore didn't seem to fit him properly, but she could still make out each curve of his body against the cotton fabric of his shirt. Slowly, she took careful steps towards him, her boots echoing on the steel floor each time she came closer...closer...closer...speaking softly as she moved.

"I think you will. Like I said before, I believe that even after we jack out and find out that everything we've always believed in is a lie, we still feel connected to the people who raised us. It is not because we may love them, or care about them, but because we remember them, and we feel secure when we are in the presence of something familiar, when everything else around us may be changing. As humans, our only consolation to sudden change is memory."

As Neo stood stiffly beside the chair in front of the consol, he was somehow reminded of the first time he'd met Trinity in the club when he was still plugged in. She'd moved towards him like this...slowly...cautiously...being seductive without even trying to. But she definitely hadn't kissed him then, and was doing so now. Kissing him tenderly...softly...her lips felt like silk against his own. He brought both arms around her, holding her tightly until she broke the kiss, leaving them both slightly breathless.

"See you later." She whispered against his lips, moving away from him and making her way to the ladder that descended to the lower deck. Neo didn't move, let alone speak, until he heard her footsteps pacing across the steel floor to their room.

Finally dropping into the chair, he took one final look at Trinity's mother before he zoomed out of America, across the vast oceans and back down into Sydney, Australia, searching for the house he'd grown up in.

(o)

A/N: I had to do heaps of research for this chapter. I don't live in America, or know anything about the country, I haven't even been there. I had to research each state indervisually before I decided where everyone should live. It took AGES. I hope my hard work payed off.

Thanks to those who answered my question in their reviews. I can use that information later....thanks again.

Neo-Lover72- I get heaps of spam mail all the time, so I might have deleated your email accidentally along with the junk I get. See, I've gotten into a habit of deleating anything that isn't from fanfiction, or sent by a friend. If you could send your email to me again, it would me much appricated (although don't feel you have to if you don't want to).

Thanks for reading, please review!!


	23. Trust

23

Neo stood in front of the grubby, minute bathroom mirror hanging over the basin that was suspended on the right wall of the toilet cubicle, rubbing the last few drops of shower water off his bare chest with a tattered towel, before tossing it limply to the cold, metal floor. He sighed, inspecting the feeble muscles of his biceps that were yet to feel the strain of more physical work before they would be brought back to the strength of the average male, before rummaging through the bathroom supplies he'd brought with him in search of shaving cream and a shaver.

The reflection of the man in the mirror was hardly recognizable to him anymore. He figured this was simply because his skin was much paler and subtle in the real world, having been denied the rays of the sun. Or perhaps it was because of the blemish fading gradually on the right side of his neck, although he was sure that it would completely disappear in the course of the next two days. It may also have been because of his figure, which was limp and fragile compared to how it had been in the Matrix. Though he supposed this would change with time as his muscles strengthened, and the last remnants of the bruises Smith had marked on his lower stomach had completely evaporated – though these injuries were now rarely noticed, let alone felt. At least his hair seemed to be growing back well, as it appeared to grow at least half an inch each day, increasing the length of both the jolts of hair atop his head, and the small stubble that had gathered around his chin.

When he compared the shavers in the real world to those in the Matrix, they seemed very primitive, as if all it was, was a sharp piece of metal someone had thought would be a good enough substitute. But as he didn't have any other option, he applied the shaving cream, gasping as the cold substance came in contact with his skin. Taking the shaver in hand, and studying himself carefully in the mirror as he did so, he ran the blade along his neck and up his chin, removing the stubble and the cream it had been saturated by.

_Easy. _He thought cheerfully to himself. _I guess because my mind was trained to do this in the Matrix, I didn't need to learn how to do it again here. _He had only just finished when a voice cackled over the intercom positioned just outside his cubicle door, causing him to jump with a start. The shaver slipped, slicing his jaw, and a fine line of blood trickled down his chin, only to fall into the basin.

"Shit." He cursed to himself, turning on the cold water tap. He cupped his hands to draw water to the thin cut that had formed on the right side of his jaw, listening to the words that were spoken over the intercom as he did so.

"Neo, Trinity, get both your asses to the core now." Tank's voice ordered, the sound echoing throughout the ship. "You're going in. Morpheus has found someone new."

Neo had little time to dwell on this before he heard Trinity reply over the intercom from somewhere else within the ship. "We'll be right there."

Snatching up the navy, cotton under-shirt and over-shirt he'd tossed to the floor upon entry after his shower, he kicked the door open, revealing the stretch of corridor between the toilet cubicles and the shower blocks. He darted down the hall, boots thudding on the iron floor as he ran, and allowed his thoughts to carry him to the core.

_Morpheus has found someone new...what does that mean? Does he plan to unplug a new person now? But we still need to worry about sending proof to the Council to show them that I'm the One, not to mention finding out exactly what I'm supposed to do. So why worry about unplugging others? Morpheus himself said that I needed to focus on myself for now, and not other people..._

His train of thought was broken by the sound of another approaching as he neared the core. He skidded to a halt, swiveling around only to see an obviously exhausted Trinity scramble up the last rudders of the ladder that descended to the lower deck, hair disheveled and eyes still bleary with sleep.

"Neo," She ordered when she saw the state he was in. The last thing she needed to do was give Tank another excuse to taunt her. "Put your shirt on."

Neo stared at her quizzically, briefly forgetting that his top half was still naked. He had been wondering why he'd been feeling so cold. Feeling his cheeks redden with embarrassment, he tugged on both shirts silently, only further ruffling the wet tuffs of short, dark hair atop his head, causing Trinity to smile briefly before she continued to lead the way to the core.

"Where were you?" Neo asked her quietly, scurrying to keep up with her long and even strides. "I couldn't find you when I woke up."

"I was taking a shift." Trinity replied, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. "Tank had only just arrived to take my place, and I was almost asleep when he said we needed to get to the core."

"Oh." Neo commented lamely, tilting his head downwards to bring his attention to his arms, which were folded across his chest. He didn't bring his vision back to Trinity until they'd reached the core, only to notice the dark rings around each of her eyes, the slight flush apparent in her cheeks, and the fact that both her cotton clothes and unwashed ebony hair was equally unkempt. He was instantly reminded of the sensation of exhaustion that had claimed him when he'd first awoken that morning, after taking on two separate shifts and only gaining a few hours sleep.

"Are you alright?" He whispered in her ear just before they were noticed by Morpheus and Tank.

Trinity merely nodded curtly in reply, though she longed to tell him just how exhausted she felt. In truth, her shifts had been a little longer than his, and the time she'd spent with him in the core only last night when she was meant to be sleeping had resulted in a severe loss of sleep. But her own physical state was hardly what bothered her now. She was more concerned about what Tank had told her only moments before by means of the intercom.

_Morpheus can't be considering unplugging anyone new, can he? _She had thought to herself once she'd recovered from awaking after only three minutes sleep to the sound of Tank's voice blaring throughout her room. _Not when we still need to decide how we are going to prove that Neo is the One to the Council. It's simply unreasonable...not like Morpheus at all. Maybe Tank misheard him..._

"There you are." Morpheus beamed, catching the immediate attention of the pair. "Sorry if I woke either of you, but I think I've found someone new for you to work on."

"What do you mean?" Trinity questioned uncertainly, unable to understand why Morpheus would consider such a thing. "Morpheus, what about Ne-"

"I've decided on a plan of action we can take in order to prove that Neo is the One." Morpheus explained, eyes darting between his two crewmembers. "I believe it would work best if we chose not to try and force Neo to come to the full extent of his powers, but simply challenge him by carrying out our duties as always and recording all of his movements and actions inside the Matrix. Sooner or later, his abilities as the One will be forced to be exposed, and we'll be able to send the recording back to Zion."

"But Morpheus, what about..." Neo trailed away, unsure of how to phrase his statement without sounding impertinent. He shook his head, feeling all eyes upon him and once again stared downwards at the floor. "Sorry, I just...I feel as if I need to figure out what I'm meant to do. You know...as the One."

"I know as much about your purpose as the One as you do, Neo." Morpheus replied, the tone in his voice causing Neo to meet him squarely in the eye. "I believe it would be wise to await contact from the Oracle. She'll be able to tell you what needs to be done from now on."

"Why not just take Neo back to the Oracle, sir?" Tank wondered, leaning back in his chair in front of the consol. "Instead of just waiting for her to contact us?"

"Why do you think the Oracle chose not to tell us what needs to be done when he was brought to see her before?" Morpheus asked rhetorically. "The Oracle will know when it is time for Neo to know his purpose, but until that time arrives he needs to focus on perfecting his abilities, and convincing the Council that he is the One." He turned on his heel, beckoning both Neo and Trinity after him. "Now come on. I'd like you to meet Raven."

The gathered around Tank's chair in front of the consol screens as he tapped several keys to bring up a sharper image of a young boy, only about fifteen years old, who was sitting, cross-legged on a double bed in a small bedroom covered with various posters of rock bands and famous actresses, with a laptop resting on his lap in the early hours of the morning. Neo could instantly see why he called himself 'Raven'. He had a dark, African complexion, dreadlocks of raven black hair that swung freely around his ears, piercing dark eyes, and wore dark, gothic styled clothes. He was bobbing his head in tune with the music apparently coming from the radio that was holding his bedroom window open, his dreadlocks literally bouncing around his head.

"The only information we've been able to obtain on him thus far is that he's an African-American male approximately midway through his teenage years, who lives in the penthouse of an apartment with his parents, and no siblings we've been able to find." Morpheus explained, not tearing his eyes away from the screen as he spoke. "As you can see, we still need to gather much more information on him than we already have before we can unplug him. I've done more than enough searching for him in the hacking network. Which means that we are going to need one of you to jack in, find out what his Matrix name is, and use that to hack into his government file. Once we've learnt all we can about him, I'll feel confident in unplugging him."

"Why him?" Neo asked curiously, peering closer at the screen. Raven's father had only just barged into the room and was shouting at his son, forcing him to turn off the laptop and slide it underneath the bed. "And why do we need to learn so much about him before we can unplug him?"

"Man, for someone who's meant to bring peace to all mankind, you certainly are naïve, newbie." Tank laughed, turning around in his seat to face the other man. "Do you really think it's a good idea to unplug someone before you've had a chance to know them properly? I mean, for all we know, the kid could secretly be an axe murderer or...worse. We need to be sure that he's both the kind of character who is trustworthy enough, and accepting enough to be unplugged."

"We don't just unplug anyone, Neo." Morpheus added. "We only unplug those we know are going to be able to handle the truth, and who have talents that will be useful to us in fighting the war against the machines. Like Raven, who is quite an advanced hacker for his age. Although I must admit that I've seen better, he's already begun running searches for me...searching for the truth, and therefore demonstrates that he will be able to become accustomed to our lifestyle much faster."

"The younger the mind, the more accepting the person." Tank stated. "Which is why it is Zion's law that no one over twenty should be unplugged, with you as an exception."

Morpheus nodded, finally looking at Neo and Trinity directly. "Tank is going to continue to watch Raven by means of the code, but this won't be able to give us much more information or insight into his character. That is why I am asking one of you to jack in today to find out what his real name is, and then search his government file, as I have said before."

Neo looked away from the others, in time to see the light just outside Raven's door flicker before switching off. Raven scrambled back out of bed instantly, retrieved the laptop from beneath his bed and switched it on again, though Neo hardly noticed this. He could feel Trinity beside him...her body weak and frail from lack of sleep...

_Knowing her, she'll probably try to deny that she's exhausted, no matter what effect it will have on her. I can't let her go back into the Matrix like this......God, why am I sounding so protective over her all of a sudden?_

"I'll do it." Neo said, claiming the attention of the rest of the crew. He kept his eyes rigidly on the screens in front of him, arms folded tightly across his chest.

"What?" Trinity frowned, eyes wide with surprise. "Neo, you can't...you haven't had enough experience yet."

"How am I supposed to _get _any experience if I don't start learning?" he argued, turning his head to face her but immediately wishing he hadn't. It still amazed him that she could break his resolve by doing nothing more than stare at him. "Besides, I need every opportunity I can take to practice my abilities as the One, right?"

"No." She shook her head firmly, searching for reasons why she should go in his place. Not only had it been a while since she'd had to jack into the Matrix and she was desperate to do so, but if she had to chose between her own safety or his, there was no debate whatsoever.

Neo's expression remained firm, though he was overwhelmed by a sense of shock beneath his outward appearance. _She's actually afraid for me. She doesn't want me to get hurt if I jack into the Matrix. I guess it's understandable, since I feel the same way about her, no matter how strong or powerful she can be. I wish I didn't, though. I know she'd hate it if I told her that I would always be afraid for her life. But I don't think she has much choice in the matter._

"I'll be fine, Trin." He comforted, his voice warm and deep. "Don't worry."

She smiled, feeling all inner sense of fear or anxiety flow from her. _He's right. It's stupid to be thinking like this. He is the One, after all. The only person who is able to defeat an Agent, and alter the Matrix to suit his will. Besides, I do have to admit that I don't really feel up to jacking in right now, since I lost a lot of sleep by spending time with Neo in the core last night when I was meant to be sleeping, Even so, I guess I just...can't help it._

"Jesus, he calls you 'Trin' now?" Tank laughed. "Whatever happened to the whole 'You call me that name again, and my foot will magically find its way to your ass' side of Trinity I know and respect?"

"Tank." Morpheus said warningly, sensing an argument breaking out judging by the look on Trinity's face. He turned his back on the young operator, facing his two other crewmembers instead, voice drowning out the sounds of Tank's chuckling in the background. "Traditionally, only one person is ever needed to do this job, but I don't see why you can't do it together. After all, it will give Neo the chance he needs to prove himself as the One, and Trinity can provide the experience required for the job. What would you say to that?"

"I'd say they'd be ecstatic." Tank called over his shoulder. Trinity wisely chose to ignore him, and nodded to Morpheus instead.

"We'll meet back here in three hours." Morpheus smiled. "Until then, I suggest you do whatever you think you need to do to prepare before jacking in."

(o)

"What are you doing?" Asked Neo, peering over Tank's shoulder sometime later. Without having anything else to do, he'd decided to return to the core and wait until it was time to jack in.

"Shit, don't sneak up on people like that!" Tank exclaimed, jumping in his chair when he heard Neo's sudden voice break the silence that had surrounded him.

"Sorry." Neo said through a laugh as Tank cast him a dark look. He moved so that he was standing beside the chair instead of behind it to get a better view of what Tank had been watching. Raven was trudging gloomily along the pavement towards his school, backpack slung over one shoulder and a walkman clipped to his belt. "He doesn't look so happy."

"Poor kid's gonna fail grade nine, and he knows it. He only started on his science report ten minutes before he left for school. He doesn't seem the sort who really would care about grades, so I'm suspecting he's worried about his parent's reaction. They seem like an uptight group of people." Tank said solemnly. His eyes then grew wide at a sudden realization, and he brought his gaze to Neo's in awe. "How did you learn to read the code so quickly? Learning to read emotions is usually the last thing you learn how to do."

"Yeah, well, it's an added bonus that comes free with being the One." Neo said with a shrug. "Ask Morpheus for the full story. I told him about it last night when we were changing shifts."

"Man, you're full of surprises, aren't you?" Tank grinned, stretching both arms upwards and yawning. "Wonder what else you've got in store for us."

"The strangest thing about that is that I honestly don't know myself." Neo said blandly, just as an idea sprung to mind. "Wait, did you see him put his science report into his bag?"

"Yeah," Tank said cautiously. "Why?"

"His name must have been written on the report somewhere, right?"

"Hey, good thinking!" Tank beamed. "I'll check it out when he takes it out of his bag later. Gee, what a time saver. I gotta tell you Neo, you're starting to impress even me."

"Thanks." Neo said through a laugh, just as another thought came to mind. "Um...I have a question..."

"Yeah?" Tank raised one dark eyebrow. "Shoot."

"Trin – err, I mean, Trinity once told me that time in the real world is based on time in the Matrix, since we really don't have a time system of our own. But every different country, and even different parts of the one country in some places are experiencing different times at once. So how can we base our time on a world with so many different times....if you understand what I mean."

"No, I don't." Tank said truthfully. "But I do know that we base our time on Greenwich, in England. Someone was able to discover that it's the place with the smallest difference between the hours of Zion."

"Oh."

Tank sighed, slumping restlessly in his seat and deciding to change the subject. "So....shouldn't you be hanging out with Trinity or something? I mean, you never know if you're ever gonna come back to the real world once you jack in, so......hang on, I got that wrong, didn't I? She's _'Trin' _now."

"She's in the shower." Neo laughed again.

"So why don't you go and take a shower with her?" Tank replied slyly.

Neo felt his cheeks redden, and hurried to hide it by turning his attentions back to the Matrix screen. Raven had arrived at school, and was proceeding to empty the contents of his bag into his locker. Lying amongst piles of unfinished homework and discarded gum wrappers was the report, with his Matrix name printed across the front in large, black letters.

"...Deon Chikae..." Neo squinted as he read the letters.

"Looks like we've got his name."

(o)

"Raven's at school, and his parents are at work." Tank informed Neo, Morpheus and Trinity when they met together in the core scarcely an hour later. "Shouldn't be home for another five hours or so. Which means you've got plenty of time to use his laptop to search for his government file."

"Why his laptop?" Neo questioned.

"Because it's what they won't expect." Trinity explained. "There's certain tactics that lead to a successful unplugging. The first is to try and keep your next target a secret from the Agents for as long as possible. The sooner they find out who your next target will be, the harder it will become for us."

"Raven's house is in a pretty good location, too." Tank added. "There are heaps of exits in the area, should you run into any trouble."

"Have you checked the hard line?" Morpheus asked.

"Of course I've made sure the line's clean." Tank stated proudly, buffing out his chest. "I'm a professional."

"If you're so professional than you should realize that you're meant to be loading us up right now." Trinity scowled, making her way to her jack-in chair with Neo following her lead, leaving Tank to mutter darkly to himself as he prepared to jack them in.

Neo sat down quietly in the vaguely familiar chair, shifting himself into a comfortable sitting position and placing both feet on the foot clamps. He grinned, remembering the first time he'd been loaded into the construct and how he'd lain in the same chair, completely unsuspecting of what was to happen. Feeling eyes upon him, Neo lolled his head to one side to see Trinity smiling back at him from her own chair, having seen the unexplained grin spread across his face, which only widened when he looked upon her.

"What?" She whispered so only he could hear, smiling tightly....uncertainly.

"Oh." Neo exclaimed, shaking himself back into the present. "N-Nothing."

Trinity said nothing, but raised one fine eyebrow as Tank appeared behind her. She moved so that she was staring directly above her, and shut her eyes in waiting for the all too familiar and indescribable sensation of being torn from your own body, that accompanied the sudden jolt of subdued pain that always occurred when the needle was pushed into the back of her skull, launching her into darkness....

(o)

Neo gaped as they were torn into the construct, eyes lingering on the woman who was already waiting for him there, dressed in her usual attire of black leather that hugged her body tightly, covered by a full length, latex trench coat and her brilliant blue eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses. Her hair had been sleeked back, with a single strand escaping and falling over a velvety white forehead.

"What?" She asked him again, becoming increasingly anxious by the fact that he was continuously gawking at her, although part of her knew she should be flattered.

"Don't worry." He mumbled, glancing down at his own clothes – a black, collared and buttoned-down shirt with matching dress shoes, dress pants and an accompanying black overcoat. He began to run his fingers subconsciously through his hair, marvelling at how long, soft and surreal it felt.

Trinity smiled tightly at the look on his face before she dug her hand into the large pocket in her trench coat and retrieved a phone. Neo watched as she hurriedly dialled a number before pressing the phone to her right ear.

"You're not gonna need much." Tank said when he answered the call. "I can get you as close as two blocks away, so it's an easy enough walk to his apartment. But I do suggest you take guns. You never know when they'll come in handy."

"Two each then." Trinity replied. Neo could already tell by the emptiness in her tone that she was preparing to launch into what he called her 'business mode'. "That will be all."

She hung up the phone and placed it back in her pocket, eyes smiling at him from behind her sunglasses. Even she couldn't deny that the way he looked in clothes that were too big for him, with pieces of hair flopping into his face that he was continuously trying to push away, was adorable. Reminding herself that now was not the time to be admiring the body of the man she'd only recently made love to, she forced her expression to remain stern.

"Your sunglasses should be in your pocket." She commented, feeling weight added to her body as two identical handguns were suddenly attached to either side of the oversized belt that was wrapped tightly around her waist. "And Tank's obviously just given you two handguns, though I doubt we'll need to use them. If everything runs smoothly, that is."

Neo nodded, checking that both guns had latched onto either side of his belt before he reached into his pocket to pull out the sunglasses. He shoved them on, just as he felt his body being tugged through countless systems, bringing him into the Matrix.

(o)

"Should be just around the corner." Tank spoke into the phone that Trinity held to her ear moments later. "The white, brick building overlooking the park with a revolving door. He's in the penthouse, room 401."

"Got it." Trinity said before hanging up and placing the phone back in her pocket as they rounded the corner. She turned behind her in time to see Neo rush around the corner after her, head coaxed to one side in slight confusion by her one side of the conversation. "Come on."

She led the way into the foyer of the building Tank had described, her high heeled black latex boots clacking on the marble floor. She headed straight towards the elevator and summoned it down towards them. Neo hurried to her side, eyes locked on the index finger she'd used to press the button for the elevator...so thin, fine and delicate. There was no word that could describe the whiteness of her porcelain skin other than angelic.

Trinity pretended not to notice his lingering eyes until the elevator doors had clanked open and they'd stepped inside, allowing the doors to close behind them again. She nodded once at him, and then at the button that would take them to the top floor. Neo nodded and pressed it, causing the lift to shiver to life and hurtle upwards, reminding both of the time when they'd had to hold onto each other during the fight in the lobby when they were trying to rescue Morpheus.

Trinity frowned as they neared the top level, feeling Neo's eyes upon her again. However, he always seemed to look away whenever she caught him doing it. Eventually, she found she couldn't put up with it any longer.

"What is it, Neo?" She asked irritably. _Really, now it's just starting to get plain annoying._

"Nothing." He said through a nervous laugh. The elevator doors sprung open and he was the first out, speeding down the corridor. Trinity scowled at his back, not entirely convinced that this was true. He was rubbing the back of his neck with his hand again.

She met him at the door and stepped in front of him, jarring it open with a single, swift kick. Neo marvelled at the curves in her leg...the way her leg muscles would tighten in the encasement of black leather when she kicked with one elegant, but deadly movement. Again deciding to ignore this, Trinity marched into the room with Neo only just behind her.

_She' s even beautiful when she walks. _Neo thought to himself, studying the way each part of her had to motion in order to make her move. He trailed around the modern apartment, hardly taking in his surroundings as his eyes were far too preoccupied with her, each line of her lower body defined by the leather pants which clung to her tightly.

"Here it is." She proclaimed, pushing open the door to Raven's room and leading Neo inside. He stared around him, still unable to believe that everything here was exactly as it had been shown in the code. Trinity bent and groped under the bed with one hand, dragging out the laptop, an old gym sock, a dried up piece of gum, an apple core and a porn magazine when she drew it back.

"Disgusting." She spat, standing and pushing everything but the laptop back beneath the bed with the toe of her boot. She then carried the laptop to the desk positioned directly beneath his bedroom window, removing her trench coat and tossing it on the bed as she did so, revealing startling white shoulders. Neo's eyes widened, but neither said a word until she'd dropped into the desk chair and switched the laptop on.

"So how long will it take?" Neo asked, glancing at the digital clock resting on Raven's beside table. There was only three and a half hours left before Raven would return home from school.

"It depends." She shrugged. "I don't think it will take me too long. It really depends on the speed and the quality of the computer."

"Doesn't look like this has been upgraded for a while." Neo commented, kneeling beside her to watch. "Is there anything I can do?"

Trinity shook her head, taking off her sunglasses and placing them on the desk delicately as she spoke. "As Morpheus told you, a job like this only really requires one person. Just keep an eye on the time, and make sure you take note of everything I'm doing."

"I've hacked into government files before, Trin." Neo reasoned, feeling uncomfortable by the fact that she thought he was incapable of something that was considered to be such an easy task in the hacking network. "I know how to do it already."

"I know. Sorry." Trinity smiled weakly, keeping her vision on the screen. After eleven years of being unplugged, this was the second time she'd allowed herself to smile, let alone feel any emotions. It somehow felt unnatural and highly uncomfortable, unlike feeling emotions within the real world. Although she was soon to discover that she now had very little control over her emotions at all. "Now what was his Matrix name again?"

"Deon Chikae." Neo answered promptly. Trinity hacked into the government network and began her search, and he watched as Raven's passport photo appeared on the screen, along with a list of confidential information on him.

"Hang on, did you do this when you were unplugging me?" Neo asked suddenly, not daring to believe it. The thought of the angelic beauty beside him being in his room and using his computer while he was away seemed too unimaginable to be real. "I mean, did you wait until you'd discovered what my Matrix name was, and then searched my government file using my computer while I was at work?"

"We follow the same procedure for everyone, Neo." Trinity answered, breaking through a firewall as she spoke. "Only with you, I never used the computer in your apartment."

"Why not?" He asked, perhaps sounding a little too disappointed.

"Because you never came home from work at a set time, like Raven. Which means that you could have burst in on me using your computer. It depends on the lifestyle of the person. If they are the kind of person who would be home less often, and at a set time, then we are more inclined to use their home computer." She said with irritation, knowing that completing the task at hand would prove impossible if she was continuously being interrupted. "Now can you please be quiet? I need to concentrate, or we'll never get this finished."

Seeing that he wasn't needed, Neo stood and stared blankly out the window at the virtual world that lay beyond. It was still hard to believe that everything that had once convinced him of the truth now looked remarkably fake...and the billions upon billions of people roaming the streets bellow him would continue to live out their lives, oblivious to the fact that they were living a lie. He closed his eyes to the sun that was streaming through the window, feeling the warm rays dance across his face.

"Are you getting all this?" He heard Trinity saying over the phone. "Deon Chikae, aged fifteen, born on......."

Slowly, he let his eyes crack open only to almost fall back in surprise. The clear and precise image of the Matrix had been replaced by neon raindrop, green coding, drifting over his eyes. He blinked, and the coding had disappeared in an instant to be replaced with his ordinary vision.

"Holy shit!" He cried, blinking the coding back into place, and then blinking again to erase it.

"What?" Trinity asked urgently, dropping the phone the second she heard the tone in his voice. "Neo, what is it?"

He said nothing, but removed his sunglasses and inspected them to make sure they weren't the cause for this strange new ability he'd uncovered before blinking again, only to change his vision accordingly once more. He turned to face her, eyes wide with awe. He could read the code as if he was seeing it on the console screens back in the ship, only now he could see straight through her if he wanted to...as if he could see straight through any solid object.

"Whoa." He breathed, blinking the coding away. She could literally see the childish excitement shinning in his eyes. "Trin, I can see the code! All I have to do is blink and my vision can alter between what everyone else sees within the Matrix, and the actual coding that makes up the program....I-I can see right through things as well...it-it's amazing!"

"Neo, what...." She said, perplexed by his sudden outburst. "When did this happen?"

"I don't know." He shrugged, reclaiming his sense of refinement. "It must have triggered when I became the One, because I remember that I could use this technique during the time when I deleted Smith."

Trinity smirked, but said nothing, turning her attentions back to the screen and retrieving her phone, reciting more information off the laptop screen to whomever was speaking on the other end. Replacing his sunglasses, he leaned against the closed window and stared downwards, using the code to see the different floors below him. He reached the ground level of the building and was again taken by immediate surprise. Sensing his discomfort, Trinity abandoned her work and turned to face him.

"What now?" She asked, perhaps a little petulantly.

Neo kept his eyes on the floor, staring unblinkingly through the different levels of the building by means of the code, ensuring that his first assumptions had been right. "Agents. Two of them. Not to mention a dozen police."

"What...?" She shook her head fiercely in disbelief. "Neo, how...?"

"I can see them." He answered softly, blinking away the coding and lifting his gaze to her own. She was perched on the edge of Raven's desk chair, using both hands to twist the top half of her body around to face him completely, eyes wide with confusion, and obvious hints of doubt.

"T-That's impossible." She argued, lowering her eyes and shaking her head in distrust. "Tank made sure the hard line was clean before we left....there's no way they could have traced it."

"It doesn't matter how they found us now, the point is that they're here, and it looks like they mean business. There's no time to finish, we're going to just have to take the information we have and get to an exit." Already he could see the clouds of doubt surging through her cool, even gaze. He couldn't blame her for doubting him, when he himself had only just uncovered this hidden ability. But even so, as both his co-worker and his partner, she should have learnt to trust him by now.

_Agents? Here? No, that's impossible! The hard line was clean...Tank made sure to check it before we left...so there's no way they could have traced us.........but this has happened before, when I was searching for Neo just before he was unplugged, so I suppose it is a possibility. And Neo has never lied to anyone before, especially not to me, so why shouldn't I trust him? But then again, he's only just discovered this new ability, so he could be wrong...God, I'm so confused._

Neo shot a quick glance below him, just in time to see the two Agents and several police officers board the elevator and press the button that would take them to the penthouse. He felt sweat cling to the back of his neck when he saw that he had not yet gained Trinity's trust. The knowledge that she didn't trust him within itself was hard enough to cope with without the impending stress of the approaching Agents. He didn't have time to wait for Trinity to trust him. They needed to leave...now.

"Trinity," He almost begged, holding out a hand to pull her up from her seat. "Please. I need you to trust me."

Despite the fact that he was wearing dark sunglasses, she could see the hidden anxiety dancing in the depths of his coffee coloured eyes and frowned, more at herself than at him. _How could I be stupid enough to even doubt him? I love him...I'm meant to trust him...and I do trust him, no matter how ridiculous his ideas may seem. When has he ever led me astray before?_

"I trust you, Neo." She whispered gently, and that was all he needed to hear as proof. The tone in her voice made him draw an arm around her waist to pull her against him enough to place a tender kiss squarely on her lips. He automatically wished he hadn't, because the feelings of want and desire towards her he'd been experiencing when he looked at her before only increased dramatically when she broke the kiss, pulling away from him and reclaiming her business disposition – something he definitely didn't like.

"Later." She ordered in her ususal commanding tone. "Neo, you need to tell me, what would be the safest way out of the building?"

Neo was brought back to the reality of the situation abruptly, and concentrated on using the code to scan the entire first level before he came to his conclusion, while still holding her tightly against his chest. Much to his delight, she did not try to pull away, but managed to uphold an expression of definite formality and emptiness.

"There's a fire escape at the end of the hall. If we're quiet enough, we may manage to slip downstairs without them noticing. But even so, there's still half a dozen cops waiting for us in the foyer. But if we stay here, the Agents and the rest of the cops will be here any minute. Either way we'll have to get our hands dirty." Neo said bluntly. "Why don't we call Morpheus?"

"They'll track it, that's why." Trinity reasoned. "Besides, he'd only tell us the same thing. The safest way is the fire escape, because it would mean giving a fight with both Agents a miss."

"Right." Neo smiled feebly as she reached for her sunglasses, which were still sitting on the desk, and put them on carefully. He felt his cheeks redden with embarrassment, as he now regretted allowing his emotions to take control of him only moments before when they were faced with such a situation. "They're only three floors away. There's no time to turn the laptop off, we need to go."

Trinity nodded curtly, allowing him to lead the way out of the apartment. They bolted down the corridor until they reached the door at the end that didn't differ from the others, except for the fact that it was marked with the words 'Fire Exit' in large, bold lettering. Neo wrenched it open hurriedly, just as he heard the elevator doors clink open somewhere down the other end of the hall, revealing a long, winding concrete staircase that led to the foyer of the apartment block. He grinned as they proceeded to follow the stairwell, relieved that he had been able to prove that his abilities had been right to Trinity, and therefore increase the bond of trust between them that he felt was already more than strong enough.

They crept down the stairwell as silently as possible, lest they accidentally alert the Agents to their location. Not a word passed between them, each far too preoccupied with stifling the sounds of their shoes on the cemented surface to speak. Each step carried them closer to the ground floor....closer...closer...closer....

When the staircase ended, and all that stood in front of them was a closed door identical to the one above, Trinity removed both handguns from her belt and loaded them, taking herself through the mental strategies she used to prepare herself for a battle. _Be emotionless...be unfeeling...be in control..._

"Where are the Agents now?" Trinity ushered out of the corner of her mouth.

"Still searching upstairs." Neo answered promptly after scanning the floors above him.

"Good." Trinity replied, catching his eyes briefly just before she pulled the door open. It was amazing that his mere presence was all she would ever need to keep her in a state of comfort and control when fighting in the Matrix...that one glance could tell her that she was going to be ok.

She pushed the door open and stepped into the foyer, pouncing upon the unsuspecting policemen and shot the nearest one dead with only two bullets. Neo followed her wearily, having only started using a gun as recently as in the last month, but found that even so, he seemed to know exactly what to do, as if there was no great skill involved whatsoever. He decided to let his body take control and let his mind sit back and watch as he aimed both guns at the nearest police officer and shot him four times in the chest. The man fell backwards as pools of blood gathered on the white brim of his collard shirt, his eyes wide in accepting death.

In seconds, all six policemen were lying on the floor of the foyer, guns limp at their sides with blood oozing from beneath their shirts. Without having to speak, both Neo and Trinity seemed to agree that there was no better time to be heading for the revolving front door of the building. They had only just reached it when the elevator doors clanked open behind them, and they whirled around just in time to see a stream of bullets fly towards them, issuing from the smoking guns of the two Agents, and the six policeman standing obediently behind them.

Neo acted instantly, stepping directly in front of Trinity and pushing her back behind him as the bullets streamed towards them. He held out his left hand instinctively, focusing all his energy into the palm of his hand and building an invisible force field around him, stopping the bullets inches before they came in contact with his face. The baffled Agents lowered their guns, ordering the police to do the same just as the bullets dropped to the marble floor with a clatter.

"Go." Neo called over his shoulder, knowing that he wouldn't be able to fight to the best of his ability if he had to worry about Trinity's safety, which he knew he would do regardless of how capable she would be of looking after herself. Trinity stood rigidly to the spot, eyes wide with awe and confusion beyond the darkness of her sunglasses until Neo called again. "Now!"

She backed out of the revolving doors slowly, then darted down the street in search of a means of transportation. It was only later that she felt slightly put out by Neo's actions, knowing that she was perfectly capable of looking after herself. She then reminded herself that if Neo did feel the same way she felt about him, then he knew that he would be much more vulnerable when he had to worry about her, and that was the last thing either of them needed in this situation.

Once she was gone, Neo turned his attentions back to the approaching Agents, discarding the empty handguns he still had clutched in each hand. The Agents (who he later came to know as Jones and Brown) marched towards him, leaving their weapons and the remaining police force behind. The policeman were left to wait submissively just outside the elevator doors and take in the horrific sight of the mangled bodies of the other half of their unit.

"I would think you wouldn't be so keen to fight me." Neo smirked. "After what I did to your friend, Smith."

"You are strong." Brown admitted in a dull and droning voice.

"But you are still only human." Jones added in the same tone.

Jones sprung forward, sending a chop aimed directly at Neo's neck. He blocked it instantly, without any hesitation, as if his body had now taken complete control. His mind watched ineffectively as he blocked a series of both punches and kicks, before aiming a sharp kick to the Agent's ribs, sending him flying back into the unsuspecting Brown.

Both clambered to their feet and attacked him together, their blows heavy and strong, but also disoriented, resulting in landing on several different angles of his body. Later, Neo figured that their terrible sense of aim had something to do with the fact that they were once invincible, for it enabled their next moves to be unpredictable. Nevertheless, he somehow knew just where he needed to bring his hands to block the next attack, sneaking in a few of his own whenever the opportunity arose.

He felt as if he hardly put any effort into his blows, but they seemed to effect both Agents terribly, giving him the impression that his strength had obviously increased dramatically within the Matrix without him even realizing it. He decided to test his flexibility and agility by eventually flipping over the Agents, collecting the gun of one of the fallen police officers and emptying the entire clip at both. Neither was quick enough to stop him, and the first few bullets hit them directly in the back, causing them to fall forward and evaporate, leaving behind the body of a dead host.

Casting the empty gun aside, Neo turned to face the remaining six policemen, clutching their guns and shivering as they stared back at him transfixedly. After experiencing the sudden exhilaration and sense of invincibility that accompanied defeating the Agents, killing a few police officers hardly seemed a worthy use of his time.

"You have exactly three seconds to get out of my sight." He said bitterly, standing stiffly in his place as the officers sprinted around him, escaping through the revolving door. He followed them almost immediately, knowing full well that he had little time to waste. Already the Agents would have found new hosts.

Once he was out on the street, he blinked the coding into place, scanning the streets for Trinity. He didn't have to search for long, because she was waiting at the curb of the opposite street, revving the engine of a stolen motorbike.

"Did you call Tank?" Neo asked the moment he'd crossed the street and arrived at her side.

Trinity nodded. "When I called to hotwire this motorcycle. The nearest exit is only a few blocks away. We better be quick. There isn't much time."

He nodded once before swinging one leg over the motorcycle and seating himself behind her, smacking his arms around her waist. His sudden movements sent a tingle coursing throughout her body, and she soon discovered that piloting a motorcycle was much more difficult when he was pressed up against her in this way.

Even so, she still felt somewhat irritated by him for what had happened before when he had ordered her to leave and not assist him in the foyer. _He acts as if he's my bodyguard...as if I can't look after myself. He was speaking to me about trusting him before, when really he's the one who needs to trust me...to trust that I can handle myself within the Matrix as I have been able to do for the past eleven years._

She knew that this wasn't true, and that he did trust her and her strength within the Matrix. Even so, she couldn't help but feel a little irritated at being denied access to a fight. But she kept all emotions masked within herself until they'd reached the exit – an old payphone behind a Chinese restaurant only a street away from Raven's school.

She parked the motorcycle against the back wall of the restaurant, and allowed Neo to follow her into the phone booth, shutting the door behind them and cramming them up against each other, not that either minded. Neo took one final look at Trinity in leather, eyes traveling from the defined corners of her lips and down along her body to both feet incased in high heeled leather boots.

"What?" She asked in annoyance.

"Don't worry." He grinned, taking the ringing payphone and handing it to her. "You first."

Trinity coaxed an elegant eyebrow, but said nothing, pressing the phone against her ear and experiencing the familiar sensation of her mind being lurched into darkness.

(o)

"We got it all." Tank said proudly as he wrenched the needle from the back of Neo's skull.

"Huh?" Neo blinked groggily, feeling as if his whole head was vibrating with exhaustion while his bleary vision came to focus on the man that stood above him. He was too preoccupied with recovering from jacking out to let any of the words take on any meaning, let alone sink in.

"We recorded it." Tank beamed brightly, helping the other man sit up in his chair and patting him friendlily on the shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, Neo spied Morpheus yanking the needle out of the base of Trinity's head. "Everything, from the moment you entered the Matrix to the moment you left. Which means that we have your fight with the Agents as proof to send to the Council. They won't need to take our word for it when we say that you have more strength and flexibility than an Agent, and can stop bullets in mid air with a single hand. They'll be able to see for themselves."

"Are you sure it's enough?" Neo questioned, swinging his legs over the side of his chair.

"No where near enough proof to convince an entire Council." Morpheus said gravely. "But it's a start. We'll be able to record your actions in the Matrix each time you jack in, with the hopes that you'll gradually reveal more and more hidden abilities that will only add to the proof we need."

"Well that's good to know." Neo commented, stretching to ease the tension in his muscles.

"I need you to report your progress to me as it happens." Morpheus instructed. "The sooner we can convince the Council you're the One, the better it will be for all of us."

"Than I guess I should tell you that I discovered I could do something I didn't think I'd ever be able to do again." Neo said thoughtfully. "I can read the code within the Matrix at will....no, not just read it. I can see through it, literally, which was how I knew the Agents were coming without having to call Tank. I could see them on the ground floor whilst I was on the top level, just by blinking in order to change my vision."

"You've gotta be kidding me." Tank said with admiration, to which Neo shook his head stiffly. "Wow....that-I mean...this is great! If you can do that, it means you can see Agents when they're metres away from you, and save us the bother of having to call you to alert you to it, which means that there is less chance of an Agent being able to track our calls."

"Yes, that is good news." Morpheus added. "Unfortunately, it isn't something we'll be able to simply record and send to Zion as no one else can see through Neo's eyes. I suppose then, that we'll just have to trust his word."

"Good thing Neo's such a trustworthy person." Tank said, grinning in Neo's direction. A grin that he eagerly returned.

"I am going to need to recheck the information you were able to obtain on Raven today, and also do another scan for him on the hacker network. If I believe it is appropriate to unplug him, then I'll need the two of you to jack back in tomorrow night, hack into his computer and convince him to meet you somewhere. There, you need to tell him that he needs to meet you after school the next day if he wants his questions answered. Trinity knows the standard procedure, and I'm sure you have some understanding of how unplugging works from memories of your own, Neo." Morpheus paused, continuing only after Neo had nodded. "Get plenty of rest. You're going to need it."

(o)

"Shit." Trinity cursed under her breath, rubbing the aching muscles in her shoulders and neck.

"What's wrong?" Neo asked timidly as he tossed both his over-shirt and under-shirt to the floor atop his boots, and sprawled out across the double bed. He watched as she stood and paced to the door, wincing with pain as she massaged her bare shoulder, exposed by the black, thin strapped under-shirt she was wearing.

"It's nothing." She smiled over her shoulder. "It's just...sometimes after I've done a lot of work, whether it be in the Matrix or out, I end up with these cramps in my muscles later on...kind of like a growing pain. But I've gotten used to it...it's been happening ever since I was unplugged."

He didn't utter a word, and heaved himself off the bed as silently as he could. Trinity hardly noticed as she kept her back turned to him and focused her attentions on the pains in her elbows, and didn't notice his presence until he'd snuck up behind her, bringing one hand to either shoulder, massaging them to ease away the strain in her muscles.

She felt her body tense at the sudden touch, having never dared to expect him to do such a thing, although she couldn't deny that it was helping. His hands were much stronger than she had thought them to be....and warm, too....and soft. He knew just where to apply pressure, and where he needed to be gentle, and before long she felt her entire body relax to his fingers.

"Neo, I need to talk to you." She managed to groan when he began to work on her upper back. "About....about what happened today."

His hands froze briefly, and he quirked an eyebrow in question. "Yeah?"

She sighed, not wanting to spoil the moment of silent understanding between them. But the impending urge she carried to speak with him about the events of the day had been suppressed within her for too long, and she was unable to stop herself from doing so any longer, as she knew that she wouldn't be able to find time to do so later – and it was an issue important to them both.

"Remember when we were in Raven's apartment, and you asked me to trust you?" She queried, as he applied pressure along her back, easing away the tension in her muscles gradually.

"Mmmm?" Was his only reply. He couldn't see where this conversation would lead.

"Well, I need you to understand that I've been able to look after myself for a long time. As you undoubtedly know, I'm much stronger than people give me credit for, both physically and mentally. The last thing I need is a bodyguard who watches over me and puts my safety before his own." She paused while he exhaled a breath of laughter. "You can't take control over me, and tell me what to do in the Matrix. Just because you're the One doesn't give you the right to think you can just order me to run away from a fight like you did today."

"I'm sorry." He whispered, pressing his fingers into the lowest part of her back. He knew that what she was saying was right, and he was at once overcome with a sense of shame regarding his actions.

"Neo, I trust you. I always have, and I always will." She sighed heavily, not because of the conversation they shared, but mostly because of what he was doing with his hands. "But I need you to trust me to when I say I can take care of myself, and I don't want or need a bodyguard and mentor in the Matrix."

He brought his hands back up to her shoulders, rubbing them soothingly before draping both arms over her chest, pressing his body against her own. After spending an entire day longing to touch her when in the Matrix, something as simple as massaging her back and shoulders had been pure bliss for him.

"I trust you. I have trusted you ever since you convinced me to stay in the car with you when you were taking me to see Morpheus." He whispered, breath tickling the right side of her neck. "And I know you're strong, but...it doesn't matter how powerful you are, I'll always want to protect you. I guess......I guess I just can't help it."

She smiled, relieved to know that he was able to understand the way she felt. She lifted her left hand, fingers running lightly over the bare skin of his left arm, tracing a pattern between each silvery plug. Suddenly overcome with a sense of exhaustion, she leaned back against his body, resting her head on the left side of his chest. He breathed in the scent of her ebony hair, lowering his arms and circling them around her waist. She placed her own hands on top of his, thumbs grazing his knuckles lightly.

"Do you still want to know why I kept staring at you when we were in the Matrix?" He breathed, bending his head to whisper in her right ear. She nodded, and he felt her head move against his chest.

"I think you look incredibly sexy in black leather."

(o)

A/N: I'm not sure about the beginning of this chapter for some reason. I think it's a bit weird. Please review and tell me what you think!


	24. Seperation

A/N: Sorry it's taken me a while to update, but I've been in a pretty good mood recently, and for some reason, I always write when I'm feeling in a BAD mood. Anyway, I passed all my exams, and I even got the second highest mark in the class for English, and the third highest for Math. I'm proud . Thank you everyone for all your support!

Neola: I love getting long reviews. In fact, the longer the review, the better in my opinion, because it gives me more to think about during the daunting days of high school. I love getting reviews from you especially, because you always have such great things to say. Thank you very much for being such an awesome reviewer, cause your reviews all mean so much to me!

Chapter is dedicated to my friend, Jessica.

24

"Do you realize that you left Raven's laptop on yesterday?" Tank said as he drained is mug of water. "And you left your trench coat lying on his bed?"

"We needed to get out as soon as possible, Tank." Trinity scowled, toying with the lumps of food sloshing about in a white liquid in her bowl with the handle of her spoon. "There wasn't any time."

"Yeah, I know." Tank grinned. "I'm just remarking on the fact that it was hilarious to see Raven arrive home from school and find a woman's black trench coat on his bed."

"I'm sure it was." Trinity muttered sardonically, pushing away the half filled bowl, having completely lost her appetite – not that she had been hungry to start with. Tank swung back on the bench opposite her, stretching his arms up to the ceiling and yawning melodramatically.

"So who's watching Raven now?" Tank asked. "And when are you going back in?"

"Neo's taking a shift." Trinity replied. "We're going in again tonight."

"You'll have to be quick." Tank warned. "The Agents-"

"I know, Tank," she said irritably.

(o)

Neo watched exhaustedly as Raven stuffed his things into his bag after school, including his marked science report, which clearly showed that he had failed. Frankly, he didn't look too pleased about it, and Neo couldn't blame him. His father was waiting for him outside the school gate (which was unusual since Raven usually walked home from school), and he didn't look so pleased to see his son.

Neo slumped back in his chair, rubbing his eyes tiredly and wondering when someone would come to take his shift. He hadn't eaten in what seemed like an eternity, and he was desperate enough to eat the revolting food served on board the Nebuchadnezzar.

He was about to sink into his own state of pure gloom when he heard the sound of boots plodding heavily across the metallic floor and turned to glance over his shoulder, only to see Morpheus approach him and come to rest at his side, staring intently at the screens.

"How's he doing?" Morpheus questioned.

"Not so good." Neo said with a shrug, watching as Raven dawdled idly to the school gate. The boy's eyes widened when he saw his father awaiting him in the old car parked across the street, but nevertheless he dashed towards the car and clambered into the front seat, tossing his bag over into the back. His father set down the paper he'd been reading, revved the engine and sped off down the road, yelling as he did so, his face reddening in a blaze of fury.

"He's pretty much failed grade nine." Neo explained when Morpheus cast him a quizzical look. "As you can see, his father doesn't seem to be too happy about it."

"It doesn't matter now. His grades in the Matrix will be irrelevant in the real world."

"When are we going to unplug him?" Neo asked wonderingly.

"Tomorrow night." Morpheus answered. "Tonight, however, I need both you and Trinity to convince Raven to meet you at a location close to him, where you won't be overheard."

"You mean meet him in person?"

Morpheus nodded. "Similar to when Trinity met you at the club, before you were unplugged."

"Oh." Neo smirked at the all too pleasant memory of his first meeting with Trinity. Even then, when she pressed herself up against him and whispered into his ear, he had found it hard to believe that anyone could be that beautiful. He was yet to see her true beauty when he was unplugged…beauty the Matrix would never be able to match through mere programs and mathematical precision.

"We're going to have to move quickly from now on." Morpheus continued, breaking Neo from his train of thought. "Because of yesterday's events, we can assume that the Agents already know the name of our next target. They have, after all, seen Raven's government file open on his laptop."

"Then…" Neo trailed away thoughtfully. "Then why didn't they just take Raven yesterday? They already had all his information from the government file, didn't they? So what was to stop them from going back to Raven's apartment and waiting for him there?"

"Nothing." Morpheus replied coolly. "Except for the fact that Raven still has no idea what the Matrix is. Until yesterday, he most likely wasn't even aware that someone may be looking to find him. Agents were created to serve one main purpose, and that is to keep as many people plugged into the Matrix as possible, which is why they are our enemy. They know that Raven, at least at this stage, probably believes that someone has been stalking him because of what you left behind at his apartment yesterday. He doesn't know that the word 'Matrix' even exists, so the Agents don't believe that he could be a threat to them yet as all we have tried to do is search for him, but not alert him to the truth. So they see no sense in taking him until he begins to question what the Matrix is."

There was a pause, in which Neo attempted to make sense of all that had been said. As he did so, he watched Raven's car pull up just outside his block of apartments. Raven sat stiffly in the front seat, arms folded defiantly across his chest as his father hurried from the car, and hollered one final thing to him before striding towards the front revolving door. It was times like these, Neo realized, that he wished that the neon, green raindrop coding would transfer sound as well as sight, so he would be able to hear what Raven's father had said to his son.

"I came here to take your shift." Morpheus finally stated. "I think you've earnt yourself a break."

"Right. Thanks." Neo smiled, pushing himself out of the chair in front of the consol as another thought came to mind. "Um…Morpheus? I hope you don't mind me asking this, but I was wondering…why not unplug Raven tonight? I mean, we already know enough about him, so I don't see any point in meeting him before the night of his unplugging, when we could just unplug him tonight instead."

"There are two things that we need to consider if we want Raven to take the red pill." Morpheus replied after careful thought. "The first is that we need to ensure that he is curious to find out what the Matrix is, by meeting with him and discussing the topic cryptically. This curiosity will cause him to want to take the red pill so he can discover the truth. The second is that we need to build a bond of trust with him, so that he knows he can trust us when we offer him both the red and blue pills. Otherwise he may be more inclined to remain plugged into the Matrix, and all our work thus far will be for nothing."

"So we have to meet him first before we can just unplug him." Neo concluded. "But what if the Agents get to him between the time we leave him and the time we're sent to unplug him?"

"That is a risk we must be willing to take." Morpheus smiled kindly, coming to realize that Neo certainly did have a very inquisitive nature. "Any other questions?"

"No." Neo grinned, already backing out of the room. "Thanks, Morpheus."

Morpheus nodded in dismissal, and Neo paced to the Mess Hall quickly, once again overcome with a sense of hunger.

(o)

"Where do you want to meet Raven tonight?" Trinity asked as Neo set his spoon into his empty bowl with a clatter only a short while after Tank had left them alone together in the Mess Hall.

"Morpheus said we should meet him in a place that's isolated, or at least somewhere where we can't be overheard." Neo shrugged, before adding timidly. "What about the park opposite his apartment block?"

"His apartment overlooks the park, so his parents may be able to look out the window and see him. And it would look too suspicious to any passers by. It's better to meet in a more populated area, where we have more chance of not being overheard, and less chance of drawing attention to ourselves."

"Good point." Neo smiled shyly, taking his bowl to the nearby sink. "But….he's only fifteen. They wouldn't let him into a club, would they?"

"They wouldn't bother to check for ID at a seedy underground club." Trinity paused to admire the smirk on his face.

"Somehow I don't think they'll be any clubs like that in such a posh looking area." Neo replied sardonically.

"You'd be surprised." Trinity smirked, propping her elbow upon the table and placing her cheek against her palm so that she could watch as his hands sloshed about in the warm waters of the sink. _It's amazing. _She thought to herself. _If Switch was to see me now, she wouldn't believe it was the same woman. Here I am, speaking so openly and even making personal jokes with someone…hell, I've even made love to someone!_

He rinsed both his bowl and spoon and stowed them away carefully in a cupboard before seating himself beside her. She turned her gaze away abruptly, taking the cuffs of the sleeves of her oversized, faded blue over-shirt in her hands, causing the smirk on his face to broaden.

"So…after Raven is unplugged…we'll head back to Zion?" He asked hopefully, eyeing her up and down subconsciously.

"Of course. He's underage, which means he can't spend too much time on a ship, so we'll have to take him back to Zion as soon as possible." Trinity answered commandingly, choosing to ignore the look her gave her after he'd spoken. "By that time, you better have some decent proof to suggest that you're the One."

Neo sighed heavily, resting his forehead in his hands. For a brief moment, he'd almost completely forgotten about the Council, having been far too preoccupied with the prospect of spending another trip to Zion alone with Trinity. But the due date the Council had set for him to prove he was the One loomed ahead, and merely thinking about that fact alone made his stomach clench.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, sensing his discomfort. "We don't need to talk about that…if you don't want to."

"No, I am going to need to think about that soon, anyway." He argued, keeping his eyes on the table bellow him. "As much as I'd rather think about being in Zion with you."

Trinity opened her mouth to reply – although she was quite unsure of what she could say in response to such a comment – when he unmistakably drew closer to her, drawing an arm around her waist. He was so close to her that she could feel his warm breath on her jaw when she turned her head to face his…saw the lust dancing in his eyes and was reminded of their time spent together in Zion. Uncontrollably, she felt her lips part again in anticipation, and felt him edge closer to her…close enough for her to taste the scent of his lips on her own when the door to the Mess Hall swung open with a deafening creak, revealing Tank standing alone in the doorframe, his usual wide grin spread across his face.

"What?" She asked irritably, casting him a sullen look as she pulled away from Neo hurriedly, causing him to draw his arm back with embarrassment.

"No need to get so…touchy." Tank said jokingly. "You need to be at the core in less than twenty minutes."

"Fine." She mumbled, getting slowly to her feet, much to the obvious annoyance of both herself and Neo.

"Hey, no need to get going now. You got twenty minutes to spend _alone _if you wanna take them." He said slyly, quirking a single, bushy black eyebrow. Neo let out a breath of laughter, only causing the scowl on Trinity's face to widen.

"Can't even take a joke." Tank shook his head in false dismay. "Really, Neo, I can't see how you can put up with her. Being her friend is hard enough…but being _closer_? God, I don't know how you can stand it."

"Shut it, Tank." Trinity warned, ignoring the sounds of Neo's laughter which was issuing from behind her.

"Ok, ok, I can see when I'm not wanted." He held up a hand in parting. "See you in the core."

Shaking her head dismally, yet allowing a small smile to creep into the corners of her lips, she made her way back to the table, taking her seat beside Neo again. He was beaming with both his mouth and eyes, as if inwardly laughing at a joke she failed to understand.

"What's so funny?" She eventually had to ask.

"I don't know." He shrugged, struggling to recompose himself. "I guess I was just thinking…most of the many awkward moments we've had so far have been because of Tank."

"In truth, he's the most irritating person I've ever met. With the acceptation of Mouse, Cypher and Dwayne." Trinity commented, lowering her voice to convey that she was preparing to speak more sincerely. "But…I honestly don't know what I'd do without him."

"He's a good friend." Neo admitted, wondering what Tank would say if he'd heard her remarks.

Once again, Trinity was overcome with a sense of amazement by the fact that she'd been able to speak so openly with the man beside her. _I don't think I've ever even thought about my relationship with Tank before to myself…so how can I admit these things to Neo?_

"Come on." She stated firmly, getting to her feet once again. "We better go."

(o)

"Are you sure that's the right address?" Neo asked into the phone he held to his ear on Trinity's command sometime later. He shivered in the virtual, cold night air as a soft, early autumn breeze trickled across his frost-bitten skin. Despite the black dress clothes he wore, covered by a thick black overcoat, the surrounding vast and empty park still felt immensely frosty and bitter, even when compared to the climate on the Nebuchadnezzar.

"Of course it is." Tank cackled back over the phone. Neo could hear him punching a few keys in the background. "You can trust me, Neo. I'm a professional."

"Um…ok." Neo mumbled, glancing around him warily. As this was his first time using a phone after his unplugging, he still found it hard to believe that Tank was able to see him, and yet speak with him on a phone from an entirely different world at the same time.

"Are you sure you can remember the address to the club?" Tank questioned.

"Err….yeah. Yeah, I got it." Neo stuttered. "What's he doing now? Is he responding to the messages?"

"You tell me." Tank replied, with an air of childish excitement.

Neo blinked the coding into place, and took a few seconds to adjust to his new way of vision before he cast his gaze upon Raven's apartment, only to see the boy sitting in his all-too-familiar position on his double bed, laptop resting atop his black pants. He was staring blankly at his computer, tapping several keys in the hopes of erasing the cryptic messages that were now appearing on his screen. A scene Neo recognized as one similar to his own unplugging.

"Yeah, he's getting them."

"Man, you're good." Tank complimented, causing Neo to laugh. "Hey, can you put Trinity on for me?"

"Erm….sure." Neo shrugged, crossing the small children's playground positioned towards the back of the park and hidden behind a cluster of trees, to the bench seated to the side of the structure.

"Tank." He said quietly, passing Trinity the phone and sitting beside her on the bench. She nodded, taking it gingerly and holding it between her neck and shoulder so she could continue to type into the CPU that was resting on her lap.

Again, he found himself transfixed by her, but for more reasons than one. Not only did he identify the closer-fitting, darkest sapphire blue dress she wore as the same one he'd seen on her before when they'd jacked into the Matrix for the first time after his unplugging, but the fact that the visible chalk white skin of her shoulders, arms and legs was much whiter than usual, and she was constantly trembling with cold.

"Tank?" She somehow was able to stammer through numb lips. Due to some sense of self pride that she didn't fully understand herself, she refused to allow herself to become victim to the cold by informing anyone that she'd made a wrong choice in outfit.

"Hey, I just had to ask." He began, and she could almost feel the smirk spreading across his face. "What's with the dress?"

Trinity felt her cheeks redden uncontrollably. The dress she wore was one she'd used solely for the purpose of meeting with Neo in the club, with the hopes of leaving an impression behind (as much as she'd tried to deny it to herself and others later). But now, since he seemed to be so easily entranced by her when wearing loose fitting work clothes on the ship, she figured it would be interesting to relive the expressions she'd seen before on his face when she dressed in this fashion.

"What do you mean?" She answered coldly, composing the final message she planned to send to Raven at the same time.

"Hmmm…I've only seen you wear that once before, and it wasn't that long ago. I think someone's looking to get some tonight."

"Shut up, Tank." She said through gritted teeth, partly because of his words, and partly because of the cold. She hacked into Raven's laptop for the final time, enabling herself to send him the final message.

"Sorry, sorry." Tank eased, punching in a memorized code as he did so. "Ok….he's getting up…getting his jacket…sneaking out….I'd start leaving now if I were you."

"Right." She said sternly, hanging up the phone and handing it back to Neo without so much as a glance, switching off the laptop at the same time. She placed it carelessly on the bench between them, then stood and strode across the playground, the latex fabric of the dress pressing against her tightly.

Neo didn't move, but simply watched silently as a strong breath of wind rustled through the leaves of the surrounding trees. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, biting on her lip in an attempt to block out the cold. Already he could see the skin on the back of her exposed lower thighs growing a faint blue. Although he knew she would refuse that she was freezing, he couldn't stand to watch her suffer.

Trinity was beginning to wonder what had forced her to wear something so impractical when she felt something move behind her, and the thick material of a black overcoat being draped over her shoulders, held firmly against her naked skin by a pair of strong hands. Neo rested his head in the hollow between her neck and shoulder, the sheer warmth of his skin easing away the surrounding chill.

"You cold?" He whispered softly in a voice barely heard above the whistle of the wind.

"No." She lied after a pause, but made no attempt to shake herself free of his grasp. He exhaled a breath of laughter, only holding her tighter and kissing her windswept hair, which was flapping in the cool breeze.

"We have to go." She reasoned. Despite the warmth and sense of security he was giving her, she was able to remember that they had to be somewhere, and anyone in the real world – including Tank – could have been watching her.

Neo nodded and moved to her side, leaving the overcoat draped over her shoulders. She shot him an inquisitive look, but only received a small smile in reply. Seeing no sense in standing stiffly in the winter chill, she slipped both arms into the overcoat, at once becoming overwhelmed by his scent. He grinned, then led the way across the vast fields of grass to the other side of the park, moving in the direction of the club.

(o)

The club was not as seedy is Neo had anticipated. It was located in the inter city of the area in which Raven lived, only a solid twenty minutes walking distance from his apartment. It was found in the basement of an unguarded building, and richly decorated with an assortment of fluorescent lighting, causing the room to glow with a variety of different colours. A DJ blared music from a stereo system on a platform, overlooking a large space dedicated to dancing, and a small unlicensed bar was set to the side of the structure, so that it could be out of the way of the full stream of the music.

"Can you see him?" Trinity called in a voice barely audible above the music. She let his overcoat slip from her shoulders, seeing no sense in wearing it when the space within the building was much warmer than it was outside.

Neo scanned the room three times without finding so much as a trace of who they searched for. He was about to give up when he spied a dark figure standing in the corner of the room beside the bar, eyes transfixed on an attractive blonde, jabbering excitedly to her friends.

"Over there." Neo gestured, bringing her attentions across the room. She nodded, and proceeded to lead him down the staircase that descended from the front entrance of the room.

Instead of simply swerving around the dancers, Trinity chose to save time by marching straight through them, causing them to part and stare at her curiously as she walked. Neo followed her timidly, seeing no reason why they should have to disturb others and bring attention to themselves when it would only take a few minutes to walk around the clustered group of dancers. Yet he reminded himself, with a smirk, that Trinity would see those few lost minutes spent walking around the dance floor as good minutes that were poorly spent.

He noticed, as they moved through the crowd, that many of the young men in the room were now eyeing Trinity hungrily, eyes roaming over her exposed skin and the dress that hugged her prefect figure so tightly. He scowled darkly, feeling a rush of jealousy shoot up through his spine and his whole body stiffen automatically. Yet none of the men seemed to notice this, and continued to murmur things to those standing by them, eyeing Trinity seductively.

His Trinity… 

What happened next happened in an instant. One of the men who had been eyeing Trinity sprung away from the parting crowd, a snide smirk spread across his oily face. He closed in on her quickly, lowering his hand straight down to her backside, clenching her skin through the tight material of her dress. At once, Neo was consumed by an uncontrolled mixture of both purest loathing and envy, and felt his heart lurch up into his throat by the man's mere actions. The anger swelled beneath his skin, and he felt his body heat as if a flame had been ignited in the pit of his stomach. He would have gladly closed in on the man without hesitation, if Trinity hadn't acted first.

The moment she felt a hand on her, she knew it didn't belong to Neo because of the scent and touch coming from behind her. She turned swiftly, in time to see the rage and jealousy glowing in Neo's eyes, and both his hands clenched into fists, trembling at his sides. Keeping her expression cold and even (even though she was clearly both irritated and enraged by the man who touched her, and flattered by Neo's reaction to it), she grasped the man by the collar of his shirt, and saw the fear in his eyes just before she lifted him and hurled him across the room, sending him soaring back into the crowd. The spectators gaped, many of them murmured amongst themselves, and one woman even let a shrill cry of shock escape her lips.

Now realizing that she had obtained the attention of every person in the room, Trinity continued to keep her face stony as she continued to stride towards Raven, choosing to act as though nothing had happened. The crowd parted for her without hesitation, and even when drunk, the other men saw sense in keeping a good distance from her. Although this may have partly been because of Neo, who had moved up behind her, shooting them dark glances.

She could tell, from the way that Neo's fingers twitched at his sides, that he was still enraged with the man from before, and she frankly couldn't blame him, knowing that she would have been in the same state if the situation had been reversed. Yet she was also glad that he was not trying to act as her guardian, or display any emotion in such a public location when in the Matrix, even if he most likely sorely felt in the mood for doing so now. As much as she wished to calm him down by speaking with him, she said nothing until she'd reached an awestruck Raven watching her from the bar table.

"What the…" He began in a heavy accent, his dark eyes wide with shock. "How did you do that!?"

"Not here." Trinity answered sharply, becoming aware of the fact that many were still watching her. Although this may have also been because of Raven. Already she could tell that he had a particularly loud and noticeable voice. "Follow me."

She turned on her heel and headed back through the club, with Neo close behind her. He glanced back over his shoulder, in time to see the hesitation in Raven's dark eyes before he shrugged his dark shoulders, buried his hands in the large pockets of his purest black jacket and scurried after them, his dark dreadlocks bobbing in tune with his steps.

"You were the one sending me those weird messages on my laptop, weren't you?" He asked curiously when they reached the base of the staircase that led to the room's only entrance and exit. "Shit, who are you people? How did you do that?"

"My name is Trinity." She replied sharply without so much as a glance over her shoulder. "And this is Neo."

Neo nodded with a shy smile, remembering just how anxious he'd felt during his own unplugging, and how something as simple as a kind face could make you feel welcome in a strange new community. Raven grinned widely in reply, revealing a perfect set of brilliant white teeth, glowing against the darkness of his skin.

"Hey, I know you!" He exclaimed. "Aren't you the Trinity who cracked the IRS d-base?"

"That was a long time ago." She said in her familiar response when questioned about her past achievements. Though Neo was certain he could detect a hint of pride in her voice.

"I know you too." He continued, looking in Neo's direction as Trinity wrenched open the door and stepped out into the frosty night air. "I think I've heard your name before…somewhere. How did you hack into my computer."

"We can't tell you just yet, Raven." Trinity replied coolly. "But the answers will come soon, if you want them to find you."

"What you say?" He questioned loudly in the same heavy accent. "How did you guys find me? Did you track me down or what?"

"All we can tell you for now, this that you need to be careful. You're in danger…they know you know too much, and they're watching you."

"Say what?" Raven gawked, quirking an eyebrow in question.

"We know that you have many questions…questions you have been searching to find answers for, for a long time. That is why you let your grades fall…why the main focus and central essence of your life is your life within computers. Because you're looking for him….looking for an answer."

"How do you know all about me?" Raven asked, his tone much more sincere and bland. A tone, Neo decided, that didn't suit him at all.

"If you want to have your questions answered, then you must be prepared to risk everything. To deny all that you know, and to come to realize the truth. Most importantly, you need to learn how to trust us."

"This is about the Matrix, huh?" Raven continued. "You asked me about that in those weirdo messages you were typing up on your computer."

"Can you trust us, Raven?" Trinity said cryptically. "Trust us enough to risk everything in order to find an answer?"

"Hell, I trust you." Raven grinned again, revealing all his teeth. "You're one sexy chick."

Again, Neo felt jealousy swell within him, mixed in with hatred and dislike. Yet he allowed this comment to slip by in order to hear the rest of the conversation.

"Then be prepared to meet us tomorrow after you've finished school." Trinity finished. "We'll take you to the answers."

(o)

"You know, I noticed a whole heap of similarities between the conversation you had with Raven today and the conversation you had with me in the club when I was getting unplugged." Neo commented, sprawling out across the bed he shared with Trinity in their room.

"There isn't much chance for variety when you need to convey the same message, Neo." Trinity smiled, sitting beside him and letting her pants drop to the floor, leaving her dressed in her black underwear and under-shirt so she could slide into bed beside him. "So, what did you think of Raven anyway?"

"You mean, now that I've met him in person?" Neo began, waiting for Trinity to nod before he continued. "He was alright, I suppose. Kind of annoying, but ok….I guess."

"You don't sound so enthusiastic about him." Trinity grinned, shifting so that she was lying comfortably amongst the worn pillows on her side. He was turned to face her directly, lying eye-level with her with a considerable distance between them, so that she could see the resentment in his eyes.

"I didn't like what he said about you before." He admitted bitterly with a tinge of shame. "You know…just after you'd asked him to trust you."

"For a minute I thought you were going to say you didn't like his accent." Trinity laughed amidst a sensation of flattery. _I can't believe such a simple comment could make him jealous! Raven is fifteen, plugged-in and irritating, and what he said is only a comment in passing. It isn't as if he's fallen in love with me. Not that it would matter if he did or not anyway…_

"That too." Neo added, swathing his left arm over the upturned side of her right thigh, bringing himself closer to her, but with just enough distance between them so he could look into her eyes when they spoke.

"You didn't like the man in the club either, did you?" Trinity said, continuing only when he shook his head in response. "Were you…jealous of him?"

"Maybe a little." Neo lied, somehow feeling as if he'd been infected by Trinity's sense of pride. He felt very reluctant to admit his emotions to her when it came to jealousy. "But I guess it doesn't matter much now, does it?"

"No." She said with a shake of her head. "It doesn't."

He smirked, closing the remaining gap between them and kissing her gently. She drew her upturned arm around his neck, deepening the kiss between them and forcing his lips open with her own, sliding her tongue into his mouth and tracing a line along and inside of his jaw. He groaned, rolling onto his back and pulling her with him, letting his hands guide themselves down her back until they reached her hips, completely losing any sense of self control. Already, he had forgotten where he was, or the reasons why they shouldn't be together. When he was in this mood, nothing mattered except for her.

Trinity bent her knees and held herself above him with both arms in imitation of what he'd done to her when they were together in the cockpit on the last day of repairing. She broke their kiss to take in much needed air, and saw the satisfied smirk on his wet lips when she exhaled a soft sigh. Once again finding herself forgetting all sense of reason or logical pattern of thinking, she nipped playfully along his jaw and along down his neck, then moving lower, down to his naked chest. He hummed in the back of this throat when she began to place a soft ring of teasing kisses just around the outside of one of his nipples, being overcome with immense sensations of desire and lust. He moved both hands from her hips – which were subconsciously moving in a circular motion above him – and slid them up beneath her under-shirt crawling along her back until they reached the tie that held her bra together, fumbling with it and then letting the garment slide off her with his assistance, only to be discarded onto the steel floor.

He rolled back over so that she was beneath him, keeping both hands beneath her under-shirt. He moved them back to her chest, tracing a path along her breasts with his fingers, bare beneath the flimsy material of her shirt. She shut her eyes softly, moaning and squirming helplessly beneath him. He grinned, loving the effect he had on her…making her feel so weak and helpless…

"Trinity….." He whispered hoarsely, bending to kiss the hollow between her neck and shoulder. "Please…"

Trinity shook herself back into reality when she heard the sound of her name. They were on a ship…a ship without any privacy where they could be easily overheard. She wouldn't stand for that to happen…couldn't let it happen, as much as she wanted to completely throw her dignity out the window. The prouder, warrior side of her was refusing to let her give into temptation, despite the fact that he was still massaging her breasts with his hands.

"No, Neo. Stop." She commanded, her voice broken with passion. "We can't. Not here."

"Why not?" He practically begged, not wanting to stop when she lay beneath him in such a fashion. He continued to kiss her neck in between his words, hoping it would convince her to give in to him. "Who cares if the others hear? They won't care."

"I care." Trinity refuted, pushing him away from her forcefully. "Later. I promise you, ok?"

"You always say that." He complained, but moved off her nevertheless, laying himself down beside her carefully. She smiled with both thanks and relief, knowing all-too-well how hard it was for him to stop, as was the case for her. But her logical mind was already back in control, and she knew that it wouldn't be appropriate, especially in the sense of her reputation.

It was then that he discovered the only downside to serving on board the Nebuchadnezzar, or any ship fighting in the resistance. He was still flowing with an overwhelming sense of lust and desire….an uncontrollable yearning just to touch her again. But that touch would lead to another touch….and another….and another. As much as he wanted to be with her, he knew he had to leave things as they were. Not just for the sake of her pride and reputation, but for the sake of their dignity as well.

"How much longer till we go back to Zion?" He asked hopefully. "Please say soon."

"Soon enough." She whispered with a faint smile, snuggling close to him and running fingers through his thick stubble of dark hair. "After we unplug and train Raven up a little. I'd say about two weeks."

"I'm gonna count down the days." He whispered, nuzzling his head against the top of her breasts.

She laughed fondly, and continued to stroke his hair until both had fallen asleep.

(o)

"Raven will be getting out of school within half an hour." Morpheus foretold the following afternoon. "You'll both need to be out the front of the school grounds, ready to meet him, and take him straight to me at the abandoned warehouse a good half hour drive away."

Neo nodded vigorously, suddenly overcome with a childlike sense of excitement. This was to be the first time he'd ever witnessed an unplugging from an experienced point of view – and more importantly, it was the first task he'd ever had to complete with Trinity.

"Right, then." Tank beamed, jumping to the controls at the console. "Let's load you all up."

Neo moved towards his jack-in chair, tripping over the ground cables as his mind was too preoccupied with the task ahead. He heard Trinity still a laugh from behind him as he struggled to regain his composure, and allowed himself a small smile. Two months ago, she wouldn't have even thought it was funny if he fell over.

He sat himself down in his chair stiffly, as Tank typed the appropriate hack and then left the console, taking to Morpheus's side first, followed by Trinity's. He watched as both were loaded into the construct, and then waited for Tank to reach his side, smiling evilly as he did so. He said nothing, but winked just before he struck the needle into the back of Neo's skull, sending an indescribable jolt of shock entwined with pain coursing through his veins. He shut his eyes firmly - figuring that no matter what others told him, he'd never get used to this - as his mind was launched into darkness….

(o)

Unlike it had been the previous night, the air was crisp and cool, the sky a dull shade of purest blue, with clouds drifting lazily across the sky. Despite the sunlight which was streaming down upon the earth, the gentle breeze wafting through the air made the climate quite cool, although nothing compared to the usual temperatures that could be reached in mid autumn in this part of the world. Overall, the climate here was very different to the climate on the night of Neo's unplugging.

Trinity gazed around the sunlit streets, watching cars stream by beyond the small alleyway in which she now found herself standing, wedged between two red brick buildings and beside a ringing payphone.

Sensing a presence behind her, she turned to see that Neo's RSI had just been launched into the Matrix and he was staring around him wildly, taking in each essence of his environment.

_He can be so childlike at times. _She thought musingly to herself, admiring his usual attire of black dress clothes. _Just as innocent and naïve. Other times…_

"What now?" He interrupted, breaking through her silent reverie.

As if to answer his question, Trinity felt something vibrate in the small pocket if her deepest black, tight fitting leather dress and dug one pale hand into it, retrieving a phone. She answered the call, placing it to her ear.

"We're in."

"I've loaded Morpheus into the area where he plans to meet you." Tank's voice cackled over the opposite end. "You got yourself just under twenty minutes to be at Raven's school."

"Any Agents?" She questioned.

There was a pause, in which she could hear him typing frantically on the keyboard before he replied. "There are some close by, but they seemed to be less than concerned with you. You shouldn't have to pass them. Oh, and the car you wanted is parked outside the alleyway."

"Got it." She finished, hanging up the phone, placing it back in her pocket and taking out her sunglasses instead. She could see Neo smiling shyly at her through the dark lenses, and smiled tightly in reply, leading the way out of the alleyway without so much as a word to him.

Neo fumbled in the pocket of his overcoat for his sunglasses, pulling them on just in time to shield himself from the full blaze of the sun when they stepped out onto the crowded streets. Trinity marched straight over to a car parked against the curb, identical to the one Morpheus had used to escort him to the Oracle. He watched Trinity move, her body tight against the dress she wore, as she yanked open the door and slid into the driver's seat, pushing back strands of her sleek ebony hair.

"How long does it take to unplug someone?" Neo asked, clambering into the passenger's seat of the car and slamming the door shut behind him, taking in the scent of the leather interior.

"Not long." Trinity replied droningly, revving the engine and gripping the steering wheel tightly with a black gloved hand. "It will take longer for Morpheus to speak with Raven then it will to get him out of the system."

"Oh." Neo said quietly as the car pulled away from the curb and joined the ongoing flood of traffic speeding down the inner city streets.

Not a word was uttered between them until they turned into the more suburban part of the area, and then glided down the few streets to the school which Raven attended, isolated from the public by a large, iron black gate. The gate was wide open, revealing a large and looming dark building that was the main part of the school, and a long and winding drive leading up to it, surrounded by grass and foreign plant life, making up the grounds. It was then, when Neo saw the private school directly in front of him, that he realized just how rich Raven's parents were.

"Shit." He heard Trinity curse in the seat beside him, and twisted round to see her peering into the rearview mirror. "An Agent's car. They're here."

"God." Neo muttered in reply. "We can't stay long, then. We need to get him out."

"School finishes in less than five minutes. We can wait." Trinity reasoned, checking the digital clock on the car's dashboard. "Here, take the wheel. In case we need to drive out of here quickly. I'll wait for him at the gate."

He nodded, waiting until she'd risen out of the car before he scrambled into the driver's seat, positioning himself so that he would be able to drive at a moment's notice. He stared out the window, watching Trinity cross to the other side of the road, and stand beside the gate. Minutes passed, and the sound of an electric bell could be heard ringing out and echoing down the street. Students filed out onto the grounds, streaming along the driveway like the lapping waves of a sea. Neo scanned through them for Raven, but failed to see him anywhere, and at once became worried that he may have already been seized by an Agent. However, he soon reminded himself that this was simply illogical, seeing as the Agent's empty car was still park a short distance away from theirs. Trinity turned back to face him, coaxing a delicate eyebrow above the upper rim of her sunglasses, ignoring the several strange glances she was receiving from the students. Neo only shrugged helplessly in reply to her unvoiced question, and she shook her head before bringing her attention back to the main door of the school once more.

Where are the Agents? Surely, they aren't inside the school building. Or maybe they are, and we'll see them leading Raven out in a matter of seconds. Or perhaps they're only here to keep an eye on Raven, because they're worried that we plan to tell him more than they think he should know?

Most of Neo's questions were soon answered. Raven trudged out of the school building shortly after what seemed like the rest of the school had already departed, backpack slung over one shoulder and dark clothes disheveled against his slender frame. Neo could tell that something was wrong with him, as his dark dreadlocks of hair lacked their usual bounce, and instead flopped over his deepest brown eyes. His dark skin was glistening with beads of sweat, and he seemed to walk without his usual flair of youthful energy. His walkman was nowhere to be seen.

Trinity shot Raven her most distasteful look – one she usually saved only for the Matron back in Zion. Even she could tell that some event had occurred to upset the boy, but even so she couldn't help but be angry that he had delayed them and cost them a precious amount of time by dawdling his way out of school. She observed the expression on Raven's face as he reached them, not failing to note that he had perked up instantly.

"Hey, ya'll!" He grinned merrily, lips stretching widely across his stout, leathery face. "What's happening?"

"Time is always against us, Raven." Trinity warned him darkly. "Make sure that you're not late."

"Sorry about that." He replied gaily. "But I forgot you were coming. And I kind of was having a bad day. You see-"

"We told you last night to meet us after school." Trinity cut him off, not at all in the mood for hearing a full recount of his pathetic, teenage life. Also, they had already wasted enough time, and the Agents could return to their car at any minute. She led him across the street to the car, and wrenched the back door open fiercely, standing back to give him access to the leather interior. "Get in."

Raven made no witty remark in reply, already having learnt his lesson. He could clearly see that Trinity was not a good person to mess with, and tossed his backpack gingerly across the car seat, dropping gracelessly in after it. Trinity slammed the door shut, and slid into the passenger seat beside Neo as quickly as possible.

"Hi." Neo said shyly, twisting around in the front seat to face the boy who sat behind him. Raven stared back through wary eyes, lips forming a sullen frown.

"Hey Neo, man." He said gravely, conveying little emotion at all. But already Neo could tell that he'd suddenly been overcome with a sensation of fear. It was a feeling he knew all too well, as he had gone through the same thing during his own unplugging.

A person was rarely asked to get into the car of a near-to-complete stranger, but when faced with the opportunity to do so, only two things would drive that person into the car. Bravery and curiosity. When thinking back on it, Neo was certain he wouldn't have gotten into the car if it hadn't been for Trinity, and for his rather overwhelming sense of curiosity. He certainly wouldn't have gotten in because of bravery (He believed that he was, in fact, the living antonym of the word). In a way, he found he had to applaud Raven for getting into the car with them in the first place, as he remembered just how hard it would have been for him to do the same, if Trinity hadn't been there. But even the bravest people often found themselves suffering from nervousness, which was why he thought it was important (based on his own, previous experiences), to ensure that Raven felt welcome and secure within their community.

"Something wrong?" He asked, catching Trinity's eye and noting obvious signs of irritation. He knew she wanted him to drive away, but refused to do so until he knew that Raven felt comfortable with them.

"Just had a crap day at school, is all." Raven shrugged.

"Oh really?" Neo grinned. "What happened?"

"Oh, not much." He frowned bitterly, starting calmly but his voice rose higher and higher with each sentence. "This jackass stole my walkman and flushed it down the can. I mean, do you know how much those things cost? My folks aren't gonna buy me a new one, 'cos I done so badly in them tests. So I ain't got any music for what looks like the rest of my life!"

"It won't matter soon." Neo said soothingly.

"Why?" Raven questioned, eyes suddenly widening in alert as if he'd only just realized where he was. "Hey, where are we going? What are you gonna do to me?"

"Your questions will be answered shortly." Neo answered plainly. "When we take you to meet Morpheus."

"Morpheus? As in _the _Morpheus!?" Raven exclaimed, to which Neo nodded. "Whoa, that's wicked, man!"

Trinity sighed exhaustedly, growing increasingly annoyed by this long and seemingly pointless conversation. She shot an anxious glance at the rearview mirror, checking to see whether the Agents had returned to their car. There was no sign of them, but even so, she knew they could return at any minute. She parted her lips to demand they drive away, when she caught a dark flash in the mirror, and saw both Agent Brown, and Agent Jones slide into their car, starting their engine.

"Neo!" She hollered. "Drive! Now!"

Without needing to glimpse behind him, Neo revved the car's engine and pulled away from the side of the street with a deafening screech, leaving skid marks on the road behind them as he launched the car forwards, setting his eyes on the end of the street.

"Holy shit!" Raven shouted, heaving himself back up onto the car seat after being thrown to the floor when the vehicle began to move. "What the fuck is going on?"

Both Neo and Trinity ignored him completely, as Neo pulled into a main street, swerving between the traffic at an overwhelmingly high speed. Behind him, he could see the reflection of the Agent's car pursuing them closely with only a meter's distance between them.

"What the…?" Raven trailed away, propping himself up so that he could see out of the back window. "What the hell do they want with us?"

"Put your head down!" Neo shouted, swiveling his entire head around so that he could reinforce his command. "I can't see out the back!"

No sooner had he done this than he heard a car horn blazing from in front of him and he felt himself jump in his seat with surprise. Raven collapsed onto the floor of the car again, swearing insanely as he did so.

"Neo! Look out!" Trinity cried, eyes wide behind her sunglasses as the truck drew steadily closer to them. While he had been looking behind him, Neo had failed to realize that he had allowed the car to swerve into the opposite lane, maximizing the chance for a collision. Trinity leaned over and gripped the steering wheel, helping him to guide the car back onto the correct side of the road just before they were set to smash into the truck.

Something solid bumped into the back of the car, but none needed to look behind them to know that it was the Agents. In swerving back onto the opposite side of the road, they'd further minimized the gap between them and the other car. Trinity cursed, seizing the handgun she'd had uploaded into the Matrix with her and loaded it.

"What are you doing?" Neo asked worriedly, struggling to keep in control of the car when it was moving so rapidly. He had driven many times before, but this was the first time he'd actually sped.

"I'm going to send them off course. Buy us some time." Trinity replied coolly. "Just keep your eyes on the road."

Once again wishing that she'd made a more appropriate choice in outfit, she wound down her window and leaned out of it, gripping onto the top of the car with one hand in support, and using the other to aim the gun. She shot the first bullet straight through the front windshield, shattering glass over the Agent's bonnet. This didn't harm them, but drove them off course. She emptied her entire clip, each bullet colliding with another part of the car and causing them further damage. Once the clip was empty, she slid back into the car to reload the gun.

"Damn, you're good." Raven complimented from the back seat, eyes wide with shock and awe. Neo and Trinity exchanged a small, secret smile, which did not escape the boy's attention, yet he decided to ignore this when in such a dire situation.

"Turn here." Trinity pointed to a street offside the main one. Neo nodded, knowing that although this street did not lead to their destination, it would help to drive the Agents off course. He turned sharply on her order, causing the wheels of the car to screech and burn rubber on the tarmac surface of the road. They swerved onto the path, missing an elderly couple by inches before returning to the main part of the street. All could hear the Agents following the same pattern scarcely minutes behind them.

Trinity focused on reloading her gun, but before she could do so, a bullet was aimed at the back of the car, smashing the back windshield into tiny particles of glass. Raven screamed, covering the top of his head with both arms and crouching on the seat as shards of glimmering ice glass trickled over the surface of his body.

"Keep down." Trinity ordered as another bullet was fired, this time colliding with the exhaust pipe. The car squealed, running completely of course as Neo veered to avoid more bullets.

Taking her now reloaded handgun in her hand, Trinity leaned out over the window once more, firing more bullets at the opposing car with much less perfected aim then before. This was due to Brown, who was shooting back at her from the opposite window and thus making it harder to get a clear shot of the car. Brown's aim was much more targeted (which came as a surprise to Neo, as he remembered Agents to have bad aim. It was later that he decided that they must have been upgraded somehow, to better defend themselves from him.). Brown's bullets hurtled through the most sensitive parts of the car, where as most of Trinity's failed to hit at all. The car chocked and spluttered, eventually driving into the side of a nearby apartment block when Neo found that he no longer had control over the vehicle.

"Get out!" Trinity demanded, kicking open her door and springing out onto the pavement. A crowd of startled onlookers had gathered around them, but were wisely keeping a safe distance. Through them, she could see the Agent's pulling their car to a halt, and gathering their bearings in preparation for a fight. At the same time, Raven scrambled out of the car behind her, taking to her side immediately.

"What should we do?" Neo asked anxiously as he hurried towards her. Trinity took one final glance around her, then sighed, realizing that no matter how much she felt an impending desire to be involved with Neo's battles, there needed to be someone who could take care of Raven.

"I need you to hold them off." Trinity explained. "I'll take Raven to Morpheus."

"What?" He gawked, unable to believe what he was hearing. _This is no where in comparison to her normal attitude. _"Why…why me?"

"Because you're the One, Neo." She said with a soft smile, hoping that this would convey that she meant to tell him that he was the only one who could stand their ground against an Agent and survive. Judging from the expression on his face in reply, she could tell that he had understood.

What is she on about? I may be the only one who can defeat an Agent, but that doesn't mean she can't fight with me. I won't let her go alone, what if something happens and I'm not there to protect her? I'd kill myself if anything happened to her…

"No, I can't." Neo shook his head violently. "I won't let you."

"You have to." She reasoned, taking his hand in her own and squeezing it tightly, sending a sensation of comfort coursing throughout his entire being. "Neo, I can take care of myself. I need you to trust me, ok?"

"I trust you." He replied almost instantly, and without any sign of hesitation. He knew she was right, but it didn't make it any easier to let her go. Nevertheless, he loosened his hold on her hand, casting her one final and meaningful stare before she disappeared into the crowd in the direction of the main road, with a baffled and highly confused Raven following at her heels.

"How nice to see you, Mr. Anderson." Jones smirked broadly, causing Neo to alert his attentions back to the surrounding, distant crowd, only to see Jones and Brown etching towards him carefully.

"As you probably can already tell, we've been improved since our last battle." Brown added with a devilish grin.

"Which means that your chances of survival are much smaller than they were before." Jones continued.

"I wouldn't count on that." Neo said playfully in reply, keeping his expression cold and even. "You see, the more you improve, the more my power enhances. I grow with you, which means that you'll never be able to defeat me."

He wasn't sure if this was entirely true, but it was effective in boosting his own confidence, and reducing that of his enemy's. The Agents exchanged a worried glance, but advanced on him soon after, sending a number of both punches and kicks at any vulnerable angle of his body.

As always, Neo allowed his body to claim full control, and attacked them back in a fighting frenzy. Although he could tell that their strength and speed had improved dramatically, not one of their attacks was able to come in contact with his skin, even if he was fighting two of them at once, thus proving that he was still much stronger…or maybe he was simply getting stronger as well.

After blocking several of their attacks with next to no effort, he sent Jones flying into their destroyed car with a single, deadly kick. The steel bonnet dented in the shape of his form, and his body fell slack, transforming back into the body of a dead host. The obviously enraged and frustrated Brown charged at his enemy, only to be countered with a strong punch to the gut. He exhaled, and foam frothed from the corners of his mouth. Neo smacked him in the chest with an open palm, sending him soaring back into the crowd. Grunting in aggravation, Brown stumbled to his feet and lurched towards Neo, staggering almost blindly as if severely drunk. Neo seized him by the collar of his white shirt, and kneed him in the groin, before letting him drop unconsciously to the ground.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Neo dug his hand into the large pocket of his overcoat, yanking out his phone and speed dialing Tank as he darted back through the gaping crowd.

"There isn't any close exits to you." Tank stated upon answering the call. "The nearest one I can get up at the moment is about half an hours travel from your current location, and that would be if you took a car."

"Where's Trinity?" Neo asked worriedly, pausing to lean against a wall once he was out on the main street.

"She and Raven have just arrived at the warehouse where Morpheus is waiting. He should be out of the system in less than half an hour." Tank replied after tapping a few keys. "You're going to have to go even further if you want to reach them."

"No, I'll meet them back on the ship." He said, perhaps with a tinge of fear. _If I get back on the ship…_

"The nearest exit is two miles due south from where you are. An emergency phone at an old construction site. I can have it ready by the time you're there."

"Right. Thanks." Neo said with relief, hanging up the phone and placing it back in his pocket. He set off at a run, heading back into the inner city and dodging clusters of bustling people, hurrying to return home, just as he was. Only in his case, the situation was much more dire.

Eventually growing exhausted of running, he slowed to a walk and paced along the streets aimlessly, trying to remember which direction pointed south. For someone who had trouble distinguishing his left from his right, this was not an easy task. Before too long, he found that he was completely lost, and was about to call Tank again when a distant object caught his eye.

A phone booth, no different to any other that he'd seen before, was positioned directly in the middle of the opposite street, surrounded by crowds of civilians. But there was something special about it…something different…a sensation he hadn't experienced before. He felt as if he could sense and unknown presence…as if he could feel someone; or something watching him…he could feel them…feel them within the essence of that very phone booth, and all at once he was overcome with a desire to go to it…

It was this force that drove him into the phone booth, and caused him to pick up the phone and speak into it without having to dial a number. He knew that they were listening. He knew that they would hear what he had to say. _What was he meant to say?_ It didn't matter. It seemed as if he'd just uncovered a new ability he had as the One. He could sense the presence of the machines and their programs while inside the Matrix…he could feel them within him…driving him…controlling all that was around him. And he knew that this needed to stop. It was this same force that made his mouth move, and formed the words that he was to utter next.

"I know you're out there...I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid. You're afraid of us, you're afraid of change...I don't know the future...I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end, I came here to tell you how this is going to begin. Now, I'm going to hang up this phone, and I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you...a world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world...where anything is possible. Where we go from there...is a choice I leave to you..."

(o)

A/N: Bit of a cliff-hanger…or at least that's what I wanted to achieve. Anyway, I hope I left you in suspense for the next chapter, because I doubt that it will be up for a while, due to schoolwork, social events and ect. But I hope to have it up as soon as possible.

Thanks for reading, please review!!


	25. Freedom of flying

A/N: Sorry it's been a while since I updated. I was planning to update on Friday, but obviously that was impossible due to technical errors. Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one.

25

Neo placed the receiver down with a clatter, and stepped out onto the crowded street, eyes taking in the people hurrying past him. Adults grumbling and tugging on the arms of young children, whining and complaining for one reason or another….teenagers linking arms with their friends and chattering to one other about celebrities and music – the pointless things that seemed to account for so much in the simple mind of an adolescent….children skipping home from school, backpacks slung over one shoulder….elderly people queuing up together to wait for the bus that would take them home….workers bustling around the streets, swerving through the crowd.

None of them noticed him. To them, he was no more than a placid face in a sea of civilians (despite his attire)….his outward appearance resembled that of someone who was one of their own….like the swarms of others, a man who was waiting for a bus, or trying to return home to his family. In a way he supposed he was like them in the sense that he wished to return to his own…but his idea of home had changed from what it used to be, and therefore set him apart from them.

What was home? Not the dingy apartment where he had once dwelled alone, living a life of solitude and oppression, not fully understanding who he was, or what he was meant to be. Now, home was in an entirely different world…surrounded by what may not have been as safe and comfortable, but what was real. What he had come to cherish in the course of the past two months. What he had come to love. All of a sudden, that home seemed an eternity away.

And here were these people, continuing to live out their lives….probably not even caring that everything around them was a lie. They were happy in their own paradise of lies and computer simulations. They didn't care that they were being controlled…their bodies giving energy and power to a source that would destroy them. They didn't want to know the truth. They didn't want to leave what they had come to know. The Matrix was the source of their comfort…it was what they depended on….it was what drove them.

These people may have lived in a false world, but it was a better world with fewer problems, and a world that offered safety and protection from the metallic harshness of reality. But these people were not only doing unknown damage to their own kind, but they were hurting themselves. They would never know what it truly meant to be cold…what it felt like to breath pure air for the first time….that sensation of cleanliness and of purity upon awakening in the real world….the amazement of looking down and seeing your own hands for the first time, and of realizing that these had been your hands all along….not what you had come to know as them. These people were deprived of these such simple pleasures that he had come to love so much. Love……they would never know what it felt like to feel real love.

He thought of Trinity. Trinity, looking down upon him when he awoke in the real world, the first real human face he ever saw…..Trinity removing her welding mask when he walked past, capturing his attention and bringing him to realize the true essence of her beauty….Trinity leading him to his chair the first time he jacked in….Trinity protecting him, accompanying him in the Matrix….Trinity telling him that she loved him, her voice driving and guiding him during his battle with Smith….Trinity dressed elegantly in Zion….Trinity kissing him….Trinity making love to him. She was his strength…..her very being an essence of beauty….beauty in strength….

The strange and unknown controlling voice that had forced him to enter the phone box in the first place - that had forced him to speak words he had not considered or thought of before – was now telling him to reach into the pocket of his overcoat and produce the pair of sunglasses he had placed in his pocket what seemed like so long ago, when he had been waiting in the car for Trinity to return with Raven. As he did so, he blinked the coding into place, seeing the artificialness of the scene close in around him….binding him, deterring him from the truth. It was silently driving him mad, yet he showed no sign of it as he stood stiffly in the center of the crowded street.

The strange force from before caused him to jolt his head upwards, and to look into the synthetic sky, its fading vanilla clouds broken by the misted afternoon sun no more than a simulation….not something to be believed, and yet accepted by everyone around him. He could not see how others could believe in something that now looked so remarkably fake. But even in a computer generated world, the sky still spoke the same message it always had. It was his gateway to freedom, his only escape from the imprisonment of the code.

A final image of a smirking Trinity sprang to mind, and he pushed up from the ground with both feet suddenly, driven by something beyond his control, once again letting his unknown abilities as the One take ownership over his virtual body. There was a rush of air around him as his feet sprang away from the ground, and he heard the startled voices of the crowd fade below him as he felt himself rise further into the distant sky. He smirked, hoping somehow that he'd left a message with that crowd…told them to believe that anything was possible if they only would free their minds.

The air around him felt crisp and cool on the surface of his pale skin, real or not sending a breeze ruffling through his long, mattered tufts of brunette hair and a sensation of invincibility coursing throughout his entire being. He was flying, soaring past the tips of buildings and clusters of birds, hearing them caw with surprise as he penetrated his body through the untouched mists of a cloud, then feeling the virtual sun on his back, warming him, comforting him. How he managed to do what he did, he did not know. But this, he realized, was definitely the most favored quality he possessed as the One thus far.

He blinked away the coding briefly to better see what lay around him, and looked down to see his own feet suspended well above the city bellow him, so that it was no more than a spectacle of lights blinking brightly through the clouds at him, as if to applaud him on his new achievement, or perhaps it was merely a signal sent by the machines, to do the exact opposite of what he had first hoped.

He didn't care. He couldn't care. The machine world seemed miles and miles away now, like the troubles that had weighed on his mind recently, and any sense of fear or anxiety left within him about fulfilling his duties as the One. He felt unconquerable…invincible…eternal, and all-powerful, like he had felt after making love to Trinity. It was a wondrous feeling, encouraging him to be free, and to feel. To defy the system….to seize control of his destiny. He now saw his purpose more clearer than ever. Destroy the Matrix….defeat the machines….save mankind. It all seemed so simple when he looked down upon the scene, from God's own point of view. How a god might see the world, and see his people.

He soared about the sky for a time, then decided that it would perhaps be best if he found Trinity, and was able to tell her of his new achievements. Surely, she was still inside the Matrix, waiting to assist Morpheus when he needed her help whilst unplugging Raven? There would be no need to find the exit Tank had directed him to. Flying was much faster than any other means of transport, and he was certain he could make it to Trinity in a matter of short minutes.

He blinked the coding back into place, then searched the vast landscape for that single, familiar thread of it that could only belong to her. He found it shortly enough, as if driven to it, then hurtled towards it, flying downwards and eventually lowering himself below the clouds, landing atop the flat roof of a nearby office building that she stood upon so solemnly. At once, that feeling of freedom and of control was lost from him, and replaced with his usual sensation of uncertainty, and of meekness, perhaps tinged with perplexity, the quality that drove his unusual and now well known sense of profound curiosity.

She was standing in the same place she had been when he had first seen her from above, as if she had been waiting for him, and had known that he was searching for her. Figuring that she must have seen him fly towards the rooftops (despite the lack of awe and amazement on her face), he approached her with a smile. Oddly, she did not return it, her face hard and firm.

"What are you doing here?" Neo asked, coming to reach her side.

She smiled then, causing some of the unaccounted tension in his muscles to be released. He couldn't help but notice that there was something different about her. The black dress and sunglasses she wore were far too tight, even by her standard. And there was something different about her face….something unnatural.

_No, I'm just being paranoid. There's nothing wrong with her. She's the Trinity she's always been. It's just because we're inside the Matrix and I'm still adjusting to seeing her in her 'Residual Self Image'. I guess this happens to every newbie._

"Last I heard you were at the warehouse with Raven and Morpheus." He continued, smiling warily. "So what are you doing here all of a sudden?"

"After I delivered Raven to Morpheus, I was sent to find you." She said, in a voice that was somewhat different from usual, but he just couldn't decide how. It sounded very much the same, after all.

"Oh." He commented lamely, rubbing that back of his head with his hand. This didn't sound like something Morpheus would do. _Morpheus would have called Tank if he'd been worried about my location._ "Well….um…..ok….err…well, now you've found me, I guess. So….should we return to Morpheus, or search for an exit?"

She was silent for a moment, eyes scanning his body from beyond her dark sunglasses. A sense of uneasiness shot through him wherever she glanced. _Odd. _He pondered. _Very odd. Usually, something very different happens to me when she looks at me like that. What's gotten into her?_

"We're not going to do either." She said with a smirk, taking his hands in her own. They were bitter and cold….unfeeling and limp….almost dead. "We have some time. Why not use it while we can?"

_Ok, this is VERY unlike her. _He thought worriedly to himself. Trinity was not one to make these sorts of suggestions, especially when in the Matrix and under prying eyes. It was then that he knew for sure that this was not the Trinity he had come to know and love. But by then, it was already too late.

Already her grip on his hands was too tight even for him to break free of….

(o)

Trinity leant on the steel frame of the back door of the abandoned warehouse, staring fixedly at the wire fence opposite her, but allowing her mind to drift somewhere else. Just as it had been the day Neo became the One, when the sentinels had attacked and she stood beside his jack-in chair having granted herself the task of unplugging Neo when she knew he was free from the system, some odd connection was able to tell her what was happening, and what needed to be done. As if she was given a brief glimpse into Neo's mind…and was able to see what he saw, and feel what he felt.

She could therefore tell that something was horribly wrong. Like an upset in the pit of her stomach, a gut instinct informing her that Neo was out there somewhere, and he desperately craved her help. There was something not right about the situation….she felt ill-at-ease, and droplets of sweat began to break out along her forehead.

_Maybe it's because I left him to fight those Agents alone. _She thought to herself. _That's why I'm so worried about him. But there isn't anything to worry about. He is the One. He'll be fine._

But her words of self comfort did nothing to rid her of the burning in her throat…the pounding in her heart. Her intuition, telling her that Neo was in grave danger. In an attempt to clear her cluttered mind, she retrieved her phone and dialed Tank.

"Operator?" He said upon answering curiously, perhaps sounding a little shocked.

"Tank, it's me." Trinity replied hurriedly. "I need you to find Neo for me, and tell me where he is."

"What do you mean?" Tank said disbelievingly. "He's with you."

"No, there has to be some mistake. I'm at the warehouse with Morpheus."

"No way." Tank protested. "That's got to be wrong. I've been following and recording all of Neo's actions from the moment he entered the Matrix today. And let me tell you, he's been putting on an incredibly good show! It's been amazing! The Council will have to believe us now!"

"That's great, Tank, but we need to discuss this first." Trinity rebutted, allowing a small smile to creep onto her face when she heard the compliments made about Neo. "Where's Neo?"

"Like I said, he's with you. He's been fighting you, to be more precise."

"Fighting me?"

"Don't ask me. You just launched at him, for no reason at all. Hell, you're actually a challenge to him. I think he's struggling to win this." He paused, then gasped in sudden realization. "Hang on. How can you be fighting him, and talking to me at the same time?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you." She muttered irritably, wondering what sort of game he may be playing that had led him to speak such nonsense. "I'm at the warehouse. Try and find me if you want."

She stilled the upset nerves quivering throughout her body, listening to the sounds of him typing frantically on the keyboard in the background.

"Holy shit, you're right!" He exclaimed. "What the…..my God, just when I thought I could only handle one, there turns out to be two of you!"

"Two of me?" She questioned worriedly, trying to make sense of all that he said, hoping he wasn't playing a cruel joke on her as he had done so frequently in the past.

"I don't know….gee, it could be your twin. Because whoever it is looks and acts just like you, everything from facial expression to fighting style. Hell, she even reads exactly the same as you do on the code! And she seems to be beating Neo up pretty bad….if I were you, I'd go and check it out."

She barely listened when he gave her directions, her stomach no more than a slushy mess of nerves and anxiety. He mind was a flutter of words, strung together in unstructured sentence fragments. _Twin…style…hell…code…beating…bad…Neo…_

She hung up the phone and left the warehouse without hesitation, starting off slowly and then breaking into a run as she drew closer to him, partly led by Tank's mumbled directions and partly led by her own instinct. Neither failed her, and she soon found herself standing outside an office building, hearing the sounds of launched bullets from the flat-surfaced rooftop. Fear claimed her, bouncing all rational thought from her mind. She darted into the foyer of the building, summoning the lift and using it to carry her to the top floor. From there, she spied the entrance to a fire escape, and used the stairs that lay beyond it to reach the rooftop.

No word other than horrific could describe the scene that lay in front of her when she kicked down the door, arriving upon the desolate rooftop of the building. She could see herself, as if she were looking on at something no more than a dream…but this vision of her was sinister, snarling, eyes dancing with delight from behind the dark glasses. There was something odd about the figure…something tight…unnatural, and not the woman she recognized as herself in the Matrix. It was strange…like looking into her own reflection, and seeing it step out from beyond the glass to meet her, to talk to her in reply…but at the same time, the woman had no resemblance to her whatsoever…

But it was what lay in front of the woman that caused Trinity's nerves to erupt and explode within her, the anxiety to come to an end and to be replaced by a succession of different emotions. Fear….doubt….disbelief. Three of the qualities that needed to be disposed of when trying to free your mind. This was entwined with the worst sense of desolation imaginable…as if the woman standing opposite her had pierced through her skin with the smoking gun she held in her hand.

Neo lay before her on the cement surface, body crumpled into a still heap and eyes snapped shut…solemnly…sadly…as if grieving for something now lost. He was still…cold….motionless….not a breath escaped his frosty lips – the lips she so adored to kiss. So cold…so empty….so lifeless. Blood leaked from a wound in his shoulder and mangled with the fabric of his black overcoat. So much blood…..too much blood….but still she would not bring herself to think of the word 'death'.

_No, I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming. _She comforted, feeling her whole body tremble as she stood rigidly to the spot, taking in all that she saw. _Yes, that's it. It's only a dream, and soon I'll wake up and be in bed beside him again. I'm seeing myself in a dream…I'm seeing a nightmare…my worst fears brought into an image to send me into despair…yes, that has to be true. It's the only logical explanation._

The woman who resembled Trinity stared at her doubly blankly, as if surprised by the other woman's sudden appearance, and perhaps a little astounded. A split second later, her eyes were ablaze with triumph, and with delight. She threw her head back, cackling malevolently.

"Ah, how nice it is of you to join us." The woman said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Too bad you had to arrive at such an…inconvenient time."

_I can see myself in the dream…that's never happened to me before. Perhaps I am not dreaming. Maybe I really am seeing my double; that or I am going crazy. But then…then…no, no, no that can't be true. He can't be…can't be. But that's the only explanation. I'm not dreaming. He's dead. It's all real…or as real as it gets in the Matrix._

Tears choked up into her throat, and brimming in the corners of her eyes, and slowly began to drip down her cheeks. She pulled off her sunglasses, tossing them aside, barely hearing them come into contact with the roof's floor. She never cried in the Matrix…but this was different. He was dead. This time she couldn't bring him back.

She took a rigid step towards his limp form, then another, and another, feeling the tears leak down the sides of her face, staining her cheeks. She made no sound, none at all…refusing to show anymore emotion to this new foe, but unable to control herself from eventually sprinting to him, kneeling beside him and gripping the fabric of his overcoat, turning him over to face her, so that she could look down upon his cold and lifeless face.

Empty…cold….nothing. There was nothing there anymore. He was gone. Gone. Dead. She shook his body fiercely, as if it may somehow bring him back to her, somehow give his lost soul access to his more earthly form. But it was worthless. He would never come back.

"I never knew you cared for him so much. I didn't think you were the type. But I suppose it doesn't matter now. You must understand that it needed to be done….the anomaly had to be taken care of." Said the cold voice from above her, and Trinity became aware of eyes on her back

These words were spoken in her own voice, as though she was hearing herself say them…like a conscience lingering in the back of her mind. In amongst the overwhelming emotions claiming her, she felt a sudden surge of anger to what lay behind her. It was her fault….that creature was her….she had taken Neo's life.

"Why did you do it?" She asked bitterly, struggling to keep her voice level and even. She turned behind her, keeping her trembling hands on Neo's still chest, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"I had to." The creature answered, tossing the gun aside, a smile gracing her face when she saw the flicker of fear dance through Trinity's exposed eyes. "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you too. You, a minor and insignificant character at this early stage of the game, and not yet any threat to me. It is he that I wanted dead, and now he is gone. The One is no more, and I have accomplished what I set out to achieve. There is no reason to spill more blood today. Besides, I think that by being alive when he is gone, you're going to do more damage to yourself than I could ever do to you."

"What are you?" Trinity questioned in the same state as she had before.

"I am everything." Replied the vision of herself, smirking as she turned her back and marched towards the descending stairwell, calling over her shoulder as she walked. "Don't worry, the answers shall come soon enough. Just do yourself a favor and don't come after me, or your life may be short-circuited. You don't want to end up like him now, do you?"

In truth, Trinity would have liked nothing better than to be dead. She had never felt so alone…so lost, and so insecure. So many emotions to accept and take on, and yet not enough space nor time. Soon, she would have to leave him, and return to the warehouse to break the news to Morpheus. No. She couldn't leave him…never.

The creature had already left her, descending down the steps of the fire escape to make its way to wherever its destination may be. She didn't care….one day she would see that whatever it was ended up dying a slow and painful death at her hands. But now was not the time. Now was Neo.

She was alone. No one would hear her cry, and if they did, they wouldn't care. No one cared that Neo was dead, other than those who knew he was the One. Those plugged into the Matrix would continue with their daily routine….oblivious…uncaring….

Unable to control herself any longer, she clutched his overcoat even tighter as she bent her head, sobbing into the wound on his shoulder…tears blending with his blood, and the stains on his clothes. The blood was still warm…still flowing….marking her now damp hair and her cheek. She could almost feel his body heaving…almost imagine that he was lying beneath her…completely alive.

"Neo," She whispered through her sobs, shutting her eyes….clinging to the memory of his moving chest. She could literally feel him breathing now. "God, Neo…."

"Trinity…"

She heard him say her name in the memories of her mind….as he had uttered it so sacredly when they'd made love. His voice soft….meaningful…very much alive. She heard it again, the memories teasing her and toying with her mind. The third time he said it was much more forcefully…stronger…as if he wanted to take her attention…

"Trinity!"

Her eyes sprung open, wide with shock and disbelief. Yes, she had not imagined it…it was not simply a fragment of a memory…it was real…it was now. He was breathing…moving…shifting beneath her…his voice had been present. He wasn't dead. He was alive.

She lifted her head to meet his eyes. Just to make sure…to make sure she hadn't imagined it. This was confirmed when she looked upon his face, the colour back into his normally pale skin, brown eyes hazy, shimmering, reflecting the sunlight as he stared up at her joyously, a smile playing on the corners of his lips. All at once, a sense of unexplainable exuberance overcame her – just as strong as the emotions experienced when she had believed him to be dead. It was these emotions that gave her permission to express it, regardless of where she was. It didn't matter. He was alive.

She began to cry again. She wasn't certain why…perhaps the happiness within her had become too much for her body to control, and it required a means of escape, falling from her eyes as tears. It didn't matter, she realized, as she leant down to kiss him. Lips no longer frozen and dead….but warm, soft and wet. She kissed him passionately, with all the energy she had, as though she was afraid he may disappear if she was to stop. When she finally broke away, and began to kiss along his jaw, she heard him laugh, and he brought his hands to her bloodstained hair, playing with it between his fingers.

"Trin," He laughed, closing his eyes to the touch of her lips on his skin as she kissed a path down to his neck. "God…it's alright."

"I know," She whispered, pausing between her passionate kisses. "I was just….afraid."

Afraid. It was a word that had often come to mind in the course of the past two months, but it was a word she rarely spoke. In fact, she couldn't even remember the last time she had allowed herself to utter the word, even when she was in her own company. It was a strange feeling: unnatural, and yet familiar at the same time.

"It's ok." He whispered softly, bringing his hand from her damp, blood-soaked hair to her cheek, a streak of his own blood smudged across it, bright against her pale skin. She felt wet, tears still streaming down her cheeks, warm and salty between his fingers. "Don't cry."

She sniffed, wiping her eyes hurriedly with the back of a leather gloved hand, placing a final, lingering kiss on his bottom lip before lowering her head and nestling against his chest. It was as if the world had begun to move once more, and time was no longer frozen. She could hear the sounds of the traffic speeding by below them…hear the ringing voice of the civilians…feel the cool autumn breeze tickling her face. She sighed, not wanting to spoil the silence, but finding that some of Neo's unique sense of curiosity had rubbed off on her.

"Neo, what happened? Who was she?" She asked him gently, shuffling off him and allowing him to sit up beside her. He drew in a painful, shuddering breath as pain shot into the back of his skull upon movement, sending spurs of it coursing down to his shoulder, which was still bleeding. Sensing his discomfort, Trinity remained sitting upright beside him on his right, rubbing his back soothingly.

"Let's take this off." She suggested, helping him to slide his bloodied overcoat off his shoulders and cast it aside. He inspected the wound on his right shoulder, large and deep, the blood thick and oozing, cutting the area of shirt that had once covered it to shreds. Both could tell that this was no ordinary bullet wound.

He turned his face to stare into the depths of her penetrating blue eyes, so sharp and cold, but also filled with love and admiration, hidden beneath sheer curiosity…a desire for answers. He shuddered againwhile opening his mouth to speak, but found that he couldn't due to the unbearable throbbing in the back of his head. He cringed, bringing his hands behind him and feeling a lump forming in amongst his hair, a result of coming into contact with the cemented surface of the rooftop so suddenly.

"It's alright." Trinity eased, seeing the pain expression twitch into his face. "Just take your time."

He nodded slowly to prevent further pain, then leaned forward slightly, shutting his eyes and taking in long gasps of air. Despite her yearning to have answers to her many questions, Trinity remained silent, bringing the same hand that had been rubbing his back to the back of his head, running his dark strands of glossy, brunette hair between her fingers.

"I'm still not too sure about it. It happened so fast." He finally said, still keeping his eyes closed to recount the recent events of the fight. "I thought she was you, because she even appeared the same way you did in the code. But after I spoke with her for a while, I could tell there was something wrong…she felt different somehow. But by then it was too late. She attacked me, catching me off guard. I was so surprised that it took me a while to attack her back, and when I did….I don't know….I just couldn't."

"Was she too strong?" Trinity asked worriedly, unable to believe that any creation could match the strength of the One.

"Yeah, I guess." He shrugged, exhaling a pained breath as her idle-running fingers grazed the lump on the back of his head while toying with his mass of hair. She shot him an apologetic glance, which he observed through half-closed eyes. He couldn't bring himself to tell her the true reason for being unable to fight back against his new foe. The creature was strong, but nothing he couldn't have defeated if the circumstances had been different. But she had looked just like Trinity…spoken just like Trinity….acted just like Trinity in both her manner and her fighting techniques. Every now and then, his mind played upon him, telling him that this was the woman he loved. He couldn't hit her…couldn't hurt her….so she had had the advantage.

"Like I said before, her best technique was her surprise. She produced a gun out of no where, and shot me in the shoulder numerous times. I can't even remember how much. All I remember is that I knew I couldn't win at this stage, and there was no way I could have run in this state. So I decided to play dead. The wounds in my shoulder were enough to suggest it was a possibility, so I just dropped down and pretended that I had died. She shot me again a few times to make sure, and I had to keep quiet, as much pain as it caused. But then I heard you coming….so I held my breath, and waited until I knew she'd gone before I sat up."

It had been difficult to feign his own death, as he had never prided himself on his acting talent, and even more difficult to remain still as shot him continuously in the one place, sending shots of pain streaking through his entire body. He knew it was enough bullets to kill someone. For a while, he almost wished he was dead if it would mean eliminating the pain in his shoulder and in the back of his head. But his abilities as the One had kept him alive, which was something he was now more than thankful for. But the most difficult part of the whole ordeal by far was lying silent and still until he knew that the creature was gone….when Trinity was clinging to him, shaking him, crying for him. He wished he could have spared her from grief…wished he could have sat up and held her…kissed her. But if he had, they would have both been killed. He had to lie still…couldn't react to her…the soft touches she gave him when she bent her head and sobbed into his wounded shoulder…This was another thing he couldn't bring himself to tell her, resulting from his constant and natural sense of shyness.

"Did she say anything in the fight to suggest who she was?" Trinity questioned, bringing him back in reality.

Neo shook his head carefully. "We didn't really have the time to talk when she was attacking me, and I was struggling just to block her attacks."

Before she could respond, Trinity heard the sound of a phone ringing from behind them, and both she and Neo turned to see that the noise was coming from the pocket of his discarded overcoat. Fingers abandoning his hair so that she could reach behind him and retrieve it (much to Neo's silent protest), she answered the phone and then pressed it against her companion's ear.

"You just keep coming back to life again, don't you?" Tank joked the moment Neo answered the phone, causing the other man to laugh. "I swear, Neo, I don't get it. I'd only just got off the phone with Trinity when I saw that _other _Trinity shooting you. You died, and then the real Trinity came. After the old one left, you came back to life. I don't understand it."

"I didn't die in the first place Tank, I was pretending to. Otherwise that creature would have really killed me." Neo attempted to explain to the obviously highly confused operator.

"But….those injuries were deep enough to kill an ordinary human. Are you sure you didn't just die and come back to life like last time?" He inquired.

"Yes, of course I'm sure." Neo laughed again. "Those attacks may have killed someone else, but they didn't kill me. I'll explain later, when we get back on the ship. What should we do now?"

"Well, Morpheus seems to have things under control with Raven. He'd just accepted the red pill last time I checked, and I think Morpheus can manage the unplugging himself. I suppose the two of you can just jack out."

"You sure he won't need us to help?" Neo asked, remembering that the entire crew had assisted Morpheus during his unplugging.

"He seems to be fine. If he needed you to return to the warehouse, he would have called ages ago." Tank reasoned. "I suggest you get out of there before anymore weird clones decide to turn up and attack you. The nearest exit is the one I described to you earlier, Neo. The one at a nearby construction site."

"Ok, thanks." Neo smiled, lowering the phone from his ear in preparation for hanging up when he was interrupted by the sound of Tank's voice.

"By the way, nice show you put on before." He commented slyly. "I got it all on record, ready to send off to the Council."

"Oh…thanks." Neo said warily, believing that he must have been speaking about the flying act he'd performed earlier.

"Pass on my compliments to Trinity." Tank said, still upholding the same, sly tone. "I never knew she was such a good kisser."

"Oh!" He exclaimed, finally coming to understand what Tank had meant by the word 'show'. "Oh….erm…..."

"Don't worry." Tank laughed. "I'll be sure to cut it all out when we send this record off to the Council. But that doesn't mean I'm just gonna throw it away. I have power to blackmail Trinity now."

"Somehow I don't think she'd like you for that." Neo replied. He could almost feel the shrug of Tank's shoulders.

"Oh well. By the way, amazing thing you did before. I didn't know you could fly!"

"Neither did I. At least not until today. It was kind of a….spur of the moment thing."

"The Council are bound to believe us now." Tank beamed. "Hey, are you interested in trying to see if you can do it again? You know…fly to the exit?"

"I-I could try." Neo mumbled uncertainly, unsure if he would be able to repeat his actions from before.

"That's the spirit!" Tank grinned. "I'll be waiting for you."

The line went dead, and Neo set the phone in the pocket of his dress pants, turning to Trinity and fixing her with a smile.

"What was all that about?" She asked, in confusion from his one side of the conversation.

"Nothing much." He replied, deciding to keep most parts of the conversation to himself to prevent her from losing her temper with Tank (as much as he had to admit that this would be amusing). "Tank says that we should just get ourselves out of the Matrix, and leave Raven to Morpheus. I have an exit…and I want to show you something."

"What?" She asked curiously.

He merely smiled quietly in reply, using his left arm to help him to his feet, cringing with pain nevertheless. Smiling sympathetically, Trinity stood and followed his lead, allowing him to lead her to the edge of the building, overlooking the city that lay so far down bellow them. She stood beside him, blinking up at him in confusion, and wondering why he had chosen to lead her away from the door. Did he plan to jump off the side of the building? He did not turn to her until she was standing directly beside him on his left, and then he faced her with the broadest smile she'd ever seen grace his face, illuminating his eyes…bringing colour to his pale cheeks.

"I want to show you the sky." He finally said, speaking softly…cryptically.

"What?" She blinked. "Neo, what do you mean?"

He didn't reply, staring up into the murky clouds to try and remember what he'd done before. Forgetting to be shy, he spoke again in the same, soft tone, keeping his gaze upwards. "Put your arms around my neck."

"What?" She gaped in bewilderment. "Why?"

"Just trust me." He said, not tearing his eyes away from the sunlight pushing its way through the clouds. Hesitating a little, and raising one eyebrow in confusion, she did as she had been told, bringing both arms to his neck and wrapping them around him tightly, pulling herself against him, careful not to touch the wound on his opposite shoulder. As soon as she'd done this, his left arm slipped out, encircling around her waist.

For the second time that day, Neo pushed off the ground, defying the laws of the Matrix and spurted up into the sky, Trinity clinging to his left side tightly, letting out a stout cry of surprise when she felt the wind whisper across her face. He flew vertically so that he could better support her in his arms, penetrating through the clouds and emerging under the full strength of the sun, well above the virtual world.

"Neo….when did this happen?" She managed to shout in a voice tinged with pure bewilderment, exuberance and astonishment. A voice barely audible above the rush of the wind.

"Only a while ago." Neo shouted back. "Tank recorded me doing it for the first time, and he plans to send it back to the Council."

Trinity beamed, remembering the phone conversation she'd shared withTank earlier that day, and the excitement evident in his tone. She could clearly see what he meant when he'd told her that Neo was amazing. There she was, soaring through the sky, clinging to the body of the man she loved. It was a scene that seemed to belong in a childish tale of romance…not something that happened in reality. Although…they weren't in reality. They were in a world where anything could be possible. At least for Neo, at any rate.

As much as she couldn't deny the rush of freedom that overcame her, she couldn't deny that the high altitude was not working as well with her lungs as it was with his. The lack of oxygen was causing her breaths to come out thin and raspy, and as much as she tried to defy the rules of the Matrix, she found she could ignore it no longer.

"Neo…" She breathed, and he nodded to show he'd understood, lowering back through the clouds, soaring briskly through the crisp, cool air. She immediately felt ashamed, and infuriated with herself for being unable to stand such an altitude, but let this slide away to better enjoy the moment shared between them while it lasted, before he eventually came to land in the desolate construction site, abandoned after the day's work.

Without uttering a word to the other, Neo and Trinity followed the sounds of the ringing emergency phone, walking in perfect alignment. Both staggered and swerved a little, often bumping into the other due to either the pain in injury, or the shock of landing after shooting through the sky moments before.

"You first." Neo smiled shyly when they reached the phone, taking it in his hand and pressing it against her ear before she could protest. He observed her for the last time, standing before him in her now crumpled leather dress, hair once sleek now disheveled and wild,streaked with his own blood, as was the smudge on her left cheek, ice blue eyes wide with excitement from the rush of zooming through the sky. She smiled tightly upon him for a final time, before her 'Residual Self Image' melted away into a thin trickle of watery light before disappearing completely, leaving the phone swinging loosely before him.

(o)

Neo gasped as he felt the metallic needle being wrenched from the back of his skull, shuddering with agony doubled from what it was in the Matrix. Here, where his body was much weaker, powerless and venerable, the pain was magnified, excruciating and exhausting. He pushed himself up in his chair, examining the wound on his shoulder only to see fine traces of blood already seeping into the surface of his scratchy cotton over-shirt.

"Shit, that looks bad." Tank commented from his right, settling the needle back behind him. Trinity stood at his other side, taking the cuffs of her sleeves in her hands, eyes alert with worry. "I should know, I've been in a similar condition. If I were you, I'd go straight to the Med Bay."

"What about Morpheus and Raven?" Neo questioned through his pain. "Where are they?"

"Raven's been unplugged, and I'm gonna get Morpheus out of the system now. After that, we have to fly to the location pinpointed during the unplugging, so that we can pick him up. We don't want to leave him floating in the middle of nowhere for too long." Tank explained with a smirk. "Interesting being on the other side of things, isn't it? You get to see what the rest of us were doing while you were getting unplugged."

Neo nodded, bending forwards to undo his foot clasps and finding that Trinity had moved to do the same. Once he was free, he stood slowly to prevent pain in both his head and shoulder, pushing past Tank to make his way to the Med Bay, hoping to be finished before it would need to be used for Raven. Trinity followed him, striding to his side and glancing at him worriedly, as if afraid he may topple over at any moment.

"I'm a fast healer." He reassured her. "I have been all my life. I'll be ok."

She nodded, taking his arm and escorting him to the Med Bay, leading him to a medical table and then moving to one of the nearby benches to gather equipment necessary. As she did this, he grasped the hems of both his under-shirt and over-shirt, pulling them up over his head at the same time and automatically wishing he hadn't, due to the overwhelming sense of agony that accompanied the movement.

Trinity returned to his side, bringing a tray of medical supplies with her and placing them beside him. He grinned in an effort to show her that he was alright, but she was too focused on the task at hand to notice, drenching an old cloth and preparing to cleanse his wound.

"Do you feel sick at all?" She asked, guiding the cloth slowly over the injury. She remembered the first time she'd done this…how anxious she'd been about the whole affair. Now, touching him seemed like nothing at all, something considered as an everyday affair. It was then that she realized how much she took these few simple moments they shared for granted.

"No, I feel fine." He replied, loving the way her fingers would slide across his skin, bringing a tingling sensation to his body. "Except for my shoulder, and the lump on the back of my head."

"I can get you some ice for that." She said once she'd finished cleansing the wound, and proceeded to bandage it in a fresh cloth. He sat stiffly, unmoving as she did it, until she brought the ice and ordered him to hold it to his head.

"You should go back to our room and rest off the pain." She instructed. "The sooner you heal, the better."

"What will you do?" He asked.

"Help Morpheus and Tank with Raven." She answered simply, seeing the downcast look in his eyes when he realized that this was something he would not be involved in. "Don't worry. You're not missing much. It really isn't all that exciting."

"Still, I haven't seen it before from the point of view of someone who'd been previously unplugged." He said sullenly, dropping to the metal floor nevertheless.

"You'll get plenty of chances no doubt." She replied, adapting to her usual commanding tone. "Make sure you get plenty of rest, and I'll come to see you later."

"Alright." He said, perhaps sounding a little cheerier. He allowed her to lead him down the hall in the direction of the core, until he separated from her to descend the ladder to the lower deck with only a gracious nod in parting.

He returned to his room quickly, before the cold could take claim over his naked chest. He slid into his bed slowly, pulling the thick blankets around him and shivering, snapping his eyes shut to block out the automatic lighting system of the ship that could not be switched off. As he nestled within the covers, his thoughts drifted to the floor above, where Raven was soon to emerge, weak, pale, wet, shocked and bald, just as he himself had once been. He smirked to himself; it was hard to imagine Raven without his dreadlocks.

_I wonder what his first thoughts will be when he is taken on board the Neb for the first time…when a stranger wraps a blanket around his naked shoulders…I wonder what he'll say just before he finds himself passing out…what he'll think, feel and see when he opens his eyes to find himself in the Med Bay, surrounded by faces that look so foreign, and yet so familiar at the same time. I wonder if he'll see things the way I did…think what I thought…if years later, he'll have a completely different story to tell about his unplugging when compared to mine. I wonder if the first person he sees is Trinity…and if he'll think she's a dark angel, and then assume that he's dead…_

(o)

A/N: Again, I appologize that I haven't been able to update. The whole ordeal with the Trinity look alike will be revealed in time, but I wanted to add a little mystery and suspense to the story. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I promise to update as soon as I can!

Remember, I am still open to requests if anyone wants a scene orsome dialouge included in this story, although I'm not making any promises that I can, but I'll try my best! Please review and I'll update soon!

Reviews motovation :)


	26. Always

26

Neo wasn't sure when he fell asleep, although he was certain it must have been long after the automatic lighting system had switched itself off, and the room became dark, empty and still. Before then, he had found himself tossing and turning amongst the blankets, unable to find a comfortable sleeping position despite his exhaustion. Whenever he found himself slipping into a light doze, the throbbing pain in the back of his skull or the aching pain in his shoulder would keep him awake. He began to feel sick, and coughed into his pillow while massaging his scalp in a infertile attempt to ease away the pain of the excruciating migraine he was suffering from. Finally, sleep claimed him and did not release him until the following afternoon.

Trinity had been right to say that his wounds would make him feel ill, for he awoke feeling as if his head was far too heavy to lift from his pillow, and he was coughing rather hoarsely. He sniffed, pushing back the blankets which with hands that were sodden with perspiration, as was every other part of his body, despite the cool climate on board the Nebuchadnezzar.

He pushed himself into a sitting position, feeling hot, sick and altogether miserable. Being sick was something that he always despised, because he hated being idol and having nothing to do other than to heal and become healthy again. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he came to notice that the space in the bed beside him was empty and cold, yet the blankets had been crumpled as if the sleeper had been in a hurry to leave the room quickly. He wondered if Trinity had noticed the sick state he was in, or if she'd ignored it, or if she simply hadn't noticed at all.

He shuffled to the edge of the bed, leaning over to find his boots when he noticed that someone had left a tray beside his bed, containing a mug of water, a bowl of the usual substance the deceased crew had considered food, and two painkillers. Relieved to see that an IV pouch was not present, he lifted the tray from the floor and pulled it onto his lap, making quick work of his meal. Once finished, he slid from the bed, found a fresh set of shirts and his boots, and then carried the tray back to the Mess Hall.

It was empty when he arrived there, and he supposed that the others were either in the Med Bay or in the core, keeping an eye on the Matrix code. As much as he wanted to be involved with all that was going around him, he felt an overwhelming sense of be alone…to sit and reflect on the events of the previous day and to cope with his injuries.

_Who was that woman? How did she come to look so much like Trinity…and who does she work for? I heard the conversation she had with the real Trinity when I was lying there…"You must understand that it needed to be done. The anomaly must be taken care of." Surely, she must be working for someone, otherwise I don't see her motive for wanting to have me dead. Anomaly…why did she call me that? No one has ever called me that before…what does it mean?_

His train of thought was interrupted when he heard the door creak open. He jumped with a start, getting to his feet in time to see and obviously exhausted Tank enter the room, yawning and flopping lazily onto the bench opposite. Neo smiled, lowering himself back to his seat again.

"Man, I'm tired." Tank yawned. "I was up all night trying to transfer and edit the file of you flying to send to the Council. You know, Morpheus plans to send it when we return to Zion, but the deadline the Council set is only three days away. So even if we started to head home now, we wouldn't have much chance of making it back in time."

"Morpheus knows what he's doing, Tank." Neo said, to reassure both Tank and himself. "He probably figures that it doesn't matter if we send the information past the deadline, because as long as it's there, then it doesn't matter when it was sent."

"Not exactly." Tank reasoned. "The Council set that deadline for a reason, Neo. They knew that if we were given anymore time, then there may have been a way for us to create our own file, showing you doing something amazing. You see, it's easy to make your own program, you just need a certain amount of time. The Council are worried that we may try and send them a faulty recording, so they ensured that the deadline was set at a time long enough to give us time to record what we wanted and get back to Zion, but not long enough for us to create a false recording."

"So….you're saying that if we give them the recording after the deadline, people might…think we faked it all?" Neo questioned curiously.

"That's what they're afraid of. You gotta understand, Neo. You're not the first person to claim to be the One, and the Council are worried about making a mistake and letting everyone down." He paused, smiling slyly before he continued. "But you are the first person to ever get close to proving it."

"So is there any way to get the file back to Zion before the deadline?"

"I don't know, but I strongly doubt it. But now we've unplugged Raven, we won't be heading back to Zion until we've trained him up. That should take about two weeks or so, plus the time it takes to get from here to Zion."

"Why do we need to train him?" Neo wondered as Tank stood to help himself to food.

"Because of some crazy law to do with unplugging. It's the duty of the crew that unplugged the newbie to train him up, and introduce him to the real world before taking him back to Zion." Tank shrugged, keeping his back turned to his companion. "Don't think that just because the real world is meant to be a place of freedom, we don't have millions of rules we're meant to obey. Only, Morpheus has never been one to listen to rules…"

Neo was silent as Tank took his place opposite him at the table, eyes on his hands, which were folded in his lap. Zion had always meant freedom to him…it's culture and it's people had always seemed to be without control or limitations, as if they could do what they pleased. He hadn't realized (based on what others had told him about the city's unique culture) that it was a place with it's own system of rules and laws….it's own government and it's own leaders…it's own fashions, music and lifestyles. Like anywhere else in the Matrix, Zion was a place of routine, and a place that was controlled. But unlike the Matrix, the people could choose who controlled them, and could say what their own rules would be…

_What if we hand in the file late, and it's so unbelievable that the Council think that we simply created a faulty recording in the hopes of gaining our own publicity? What will they do if they don't believe I am the One? Will I be punished for even trying to be something they think I'm not? What sort of punishments do they have in Zion, anyway?_

"Are you alright, Neo?" Tank asked, perhaps a little anxiously. "You don't look so good."

"I-I'm fine." Neo mumbled, remembering the throbbing pain in the back of his head. "Um…is there anything I can do to help with Raven?"

"No, we're working on rebuilding his muscles at the moment, and Morpheus and Trinity have been keeping an eye over him while I've been working in the core." Tank replied. "I haven't seen him since I brought him into the Med Bay yesterday, but he seemed to be in a pretty good condition. If I were you, I'd get some more rest. You look terrible."

"Right." Neo smiled politely, getting from the table. "Thanks."

However, he did not return to his room but decided to follow the corridor to the Med Bay, figuring that sleep would not do him anymore good. Besides, he wanted to be involved with what the others were doing…to see what unplugging someone was like. Not even the pain in his shoulder or the migraine he suffered from could prevent him from doing so.

Trinity was alone in the Med Bay, arms folded across her chest and leaning against the medical table with a dreary expression on her face…her eyes wondering and empty, as if she were lost within her thoughts. She spun around when she heard him open the door, and expression of both bemusement and irritation on her face.

_For the sake of his own health, can't he just stay in bed? _She thought bitterly to herself, but at the same time, she did have to admit that she was amused by the fact that he was always so fascinated, and had a will to learn. She wondered if he'd always been like this…or was he simply interested in things that were relevant to him?

"You're meant to be sleeping." She said with a smile as he came to stand beside her, so close that she could hear the soothing sounds of his breathing.

He shrugged limply with his one good shoulder. "I've slept enough."

"Is there anything I can get you?" She asked softly, keeping her eyes on his still face.

"No, I'm fine now." He lied with a shake of his head. "My headaches almost completely gone."

"Do you need me to change the bandage on your shoulder?"

"No, I can do that myself later." He answered, noticing the darkish rings beneath her eyes. "You tired?"

"A little." She admitted. "I didn't get much sleep. I had to work on him."

She nodded towards the medical table she'd been leaning against, and Neo noticed for the first time that it was occupied with the body of a teenage boy. For a moment, he didn't recognize him, as the figure belonged to someone who was short, skinny and fragile with little muscle and wrinkled skin. His body was still damp, and he was hairless except for a few dark strands already growing back where his eyebrows had once been, and his skin, although of a dark complexion, was somewhat paler than normal. He was unconscious, eyes closed softly over his eyelids, eyelashes already sprouting back to their usual length.

"He looks different without hair." Neo commented, eyes running over the needles that had been jabbed into his body at every possible angle. He wondered why Raven wasn't cold, due to the fact that his only source of warmth was the ragged blanket that had been thrown loosely over the lower half of his withered looking body.

"Everyone does. I looked ridiculous when I was unplugged." Trinity replied. Neo watched her silently, trying to image her without those fine wisps of ebony hair that framed her face…hair that he adored so much.

"I'll bet." He concluded, bringing his attentions back to the sleeping Raven. "Has he woken up at all yet?"

"Only once before, when Morpheus and I were putting the needles in." Trinity remarked. "He was swearing like a shocked idiot until he knocked himself out again."

"Where's Morpheus now?"

"He went to monitor the core and give Tank a break." She answered. "And Tank should be here by the time he's ready to have the needles removed and his plugs filled in."

"Can I help?" Neo suggested.

"You can watch, I guess, to see if you can learn how to do it." Trinity shrugged.

There was a pause, in which Neo found himself staring absentmindedly into Raven's still and leathery face, and realized that this was the end result - the proof of his first successful mission. At once he was overcome with a sense of inner pride and excitement. He didn't see why Tank and the other late crewmembers of the Nebuchadnezzar had resented the task of introducing a newly unplugged to the real world. In fact, he awaited it with a sense of childlike excitement, and was glad he would no longer be the most inexperienced person on the ship. Also, this was the first mission he'd ever completed with Trinity. Working with her not only as a fellow crewmate, but as a friend, companion, soul mate and lover. He realized how much he'd loved working with her…to be able to have the pleasure of working alongside her and being treated as her equal, and to be loved by her at the same time.

"Trinity," He finally managed to say. "I…I really liked working with you. I mean, unplugging Raven and everything. You're such a strong person, and you don't let anything get in the way of what you have to do. Not even me. That's why I liked it so much….I got a chance to learn more about you, and how you deal with different situations."

She smiled weakly, flattered by his words but completely unsure of what to say in reply. Indeed, she felt the same way about the whole situation. Not only had she learnt more about him as the One, but she'd learnt more about him as a person, and had been amazed by how fast he was able to pick up on things. But could she conquer her pride and manage to say this aloud? _Oh hell, _she decided, _why not? It's only Neo after all…I'm just giving him a compliment._

"I liked it too." She eventually replied, but could say no more as they were soon interrupted.

"Liked what?" Said a devious, teasing voice from behind them. Both turned sharply to see Tank filling the open doorframe to the Med Bay, a devilish smirk printed across his face.

"N-Nothing." She stammered, turning away and pretended to be deeply intent on watching Raven sleep. She felt her cheeks redden, and saw Neo do the same from out of the corner of her eye.

"Sorry for interrupting, but I came on Morpheus's orders to help you with Raven." Tank beamed, striding into the room and pushing in between the two. "Neo, I thought you were gonna get some more rest."

"I'm fine, really." He protested. "I just want to watch…I haven't seen this happen before."

"It's not very exciting, Neo, trust me." Tank replied, but made no more effort to prevent him from remaining, realizing that perhaps some of Trinity's determination and will power had rubbed off on him during the time they'd known each other.

Neo watched in silence as Raven was injected with a syringe filled with clear liquid, causing his body to fall slack and his head to loll to one side. They then proceeded to remove the needles from his skin, dropping them into a small container holding antiseptic water, which was soon tinged with stale blood. He cringed as they dabbed at his bleeding skin until it was clear once more, and then inserted the silvery plugs into each of the exposed holes on his body (including the one on the back of his head) by almost drilling them into his flesh, and then wiping away the access blood.

As this was done, he observed the expression on both Tank and Trinity's faces, and saw that both were bland and dull, as if this was no more than an everyday affair. Being a person who disliked hospitals and illness, Neo was certain he'd never be able to see it in the same way as they did. What really effected him was the fact that this same procedure had once been carried out on him, as he lay unconscious and in the mercy of people who were almost complete strangers…

"Neo, could you get some clothes for Raven?" Trinity asked him over her shoulder, not bothering to take her gaze away from the task at hand. "He should wear about the same size as Mouse. See if you can find Mouse's old clothes."

Neo nodded and left the room swiftly, relieved to be away from the stench of blood and to take in gasps of pure air. He hurried to the lower floor and into what Trinity had shown him once as Mouse's old room, scanning the area until he found underwear, shirts, pants and boots and carried them with him back to the Med Bay.

"Thanks." Tank smiled, taking the garments from Neo's outstretched hands. He then pulled off the blanket that had been temporarily shielding Raven's legs, and dressed him in the clothes as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

"So which room should we put the kid in?" Tank asked openly as he finished buckling Raven's left boot.

"Any room will do." Trinity said carelessly as she emptied the container of bloodstained water and placed the cleansed needles away in a cupboard. Neo swallowed, having not known that the needles were reused, which meant that those were the same needles that had been used during his unplugging…the same ones that had penetrated through the surface of his skin.

Without so much as a word, Tank slid both arms beneath Raven's armpits, lifting the upper half of his body. Neo moved to take his legs, but Trinity arrived first, lifting him from the table completely and shuffling backwards out the door with Tank in front of her. Feeling useless and deprived of purpose, Neo followed them as they carried the unconscious Raven to the lower deck and placed him in an abandoned room, leaving him atop his blankets. Taking the IV pouch she'd carried with her under her arm, Trinity passed it to Tank, who jabbed the needle into Raven's arm plug, and then hung the bag on the wall above him.

"He'll need supplies and things." Tank informed them. "I can see to that. You two go and get some rest before Morpheus finds anything else for you to do."

"There's no more we can do to help?" Neo asked, unable to preventing himself from mentally noting that he had not done much to help in the first place. Obviously, Tank did not see this, for he replied without hesitation or emotion.

"Nah, I got it all under control. You get the rest you need, ok? I'll see you guys later."

(o)

"What's wrong?" Trinity finally had to ask from her place on their shared bed, lying on her stomach with her head propped up atop her arms, folded on the pillow so that she could watch him undo the clasps of his boots.

"Nothing's wrong." He asked in a voice of false bewilderment, as if he couldn't believe that she was suggesting such a thing. But the wide smile upon his pale face could not fool her. She had known for some time that something had been bothering him…ever since he'd returned to their room after announcing he wanted to take a shower. There was something upsetting him…she could see it shinning in his eyes.

"You can tell me." She whispered as softly as she could. He turned away from her, as if ashamed of himself, and left his hands idol in his lap as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"I'm just getting a little annoyed. I hate not doing things…not knowing, and not being able to help. I hate feeling worthless, and that's how I felt when you and Tank were working on Raven. I just sat there with nothing to do….I felt like I was just getting in the way."

Trinity sighed, having partly suspected he would say as much. She knew from past conversations and experiences that he was not a person who liked to be unimportant and without purpose…it was in his nature to want to be involved with things. She paused to consider this, unable to believe that she could know more about another than she knew about herself.

"You're not worthless." She whispered again, unfolding her arms so that she could reach for his, stroking it with her fingers and tickling his skin. He faced her properly once more, smiling warily as if not entirely convinced.

"You're the One, Neo." She continued. "You are more important to everyone on this ship than anything else, and everyone here values you above their own lives. You're the last hope for the salvation of mankind. We need you, Neo…we all do….and I…I-I need you the most."

The last sentence had been difficult for her to say, but it succeeded in brightening the expression on his face. Smiling in the way he always did, he returned to unbuckling his boots, then pulled both his shirts over his head and tossed them aside, ruffling the short tuffs of his brunette hair. He clambered into bed beside her, pulling the blankets to his waist and propping himself up on one elbow to face her. She rolled onto her back expectantly, smiling into his eyes just before she allowed herself to wrap one arm around his neck and draw her body up towards him, kissing him passionately as he let his free arm drape over her back and clutch her body tightly, pulling her closer to him.

He remembered that only yesterday, she'd kissed him on the rooftop of an office building in the Matrix with all the energy, strength and soul she had. Now, she kissed him tenderly, softly, and yet passionately at the same time. Her lips felt just as they had before, only made better by the fact that these were her real lips, and not simply a computer's simulation. They were still wet….still warm…still Trinity. He loved them. Loved her.

He let her fall back onto the bed, moving his free hand to sweep her matted hair out of her eyes. Eyes so blissful…soulful, and uncontrollable…wild and free with burning passion. Making love to her once was not enough. He needed her now more than ever…

"I love you so much…." He whispered, continuing to stroke her hair. "….so much."

She smiled, saying nothing, but slid her arm from around his neck and down to his right shoulder, her hand passing across the bandage and fingers pressing against his wounded skin, causing him to exhale a stout breath of shock and pain. It was this that brought both back into the reality of the situation, and reminded them that this was neither the time, nor the place. They were still on a ship, where they could be heard or interrupted. And Neo was still injured. It seemed they had no choice but to wait.

"Zion in two weeks." She murmured, and he nodded to show that he'd understood, pushing all sense of disappointment and aggravation from his mind. He hadn't even considered, when he'd returned to the Nebuchadnezzar after his first trip to Zion, that he would be unable to touch her while on the ship. Now Zion seemed to be the one place he often had on his mind. It was their refuge…and the only place where they could be alone and together.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, she turned back over onto her stomach and prepared to settle into sleep. Neo remained still, staring at her chalk white face, still propped up by one elbow. He lifted his free hand from the pillows and brought it to her shoulders, ignoring the sudden pain in his shoulder as he began to lightly massage her shoulders and all along her back, moving his hands across her until she'd fallen asleep.

(o)

A single, shrill cry was all it took to wake the entire crew in the early hours of the morning. It was followed by the shouted words, "Holy shit! What the hell have you people done to my hair?" uttered in the all too familiar accent that could belong to Raven alone.

Beside her, she heard Neo exhale a groan of exhaustion, and felt the warming weight of his arm lying lazily across her back lifted when he shifted amongst the blankets, rolling onto his back. She cracked open one eye, taking in her surroundings and finding that she had not moved during the night, and was lying on her stomach as she had been before, head nestled into the limp pillows. Through the subtle darkness of the metallic room, she could barely make out the outline of his frame beside her, his body upturned so that he now stared blankly at the dim ceiling. She smiled softly to herself, before scrambling over him and gasping slightly as her feet came in contact with the bitter frostiness of the steel floor. She crossed the room hurriedly, fumbling along the wall for the switch that operated the lighting system of the room, finding it and switching it on before turning back to face him only to see him sitting upright in the bed, frowning slightly.

"It's too early." He grumbled, causing her smile to broaden.

"I know." She replied softly. "But we can't help it. Now that Raven has woken up, he's going to want to learn the truth."

"What do I need to do?" Neo questioned in perplexity.

"There is no initial reason for you to be in the core. Usually it only requires one operator and the captain of a ship to carry out this stage, but now that we're both awake, we may as well join them."

"But….we don't have to?" He asked through a yawn, perhaps a little pleadingly.

"No." She grinned, returning to the bed and neglecting to turn off the lights. "No, we don't have to."

Smiling once more, Neo shuffled over to allow her to slide back into bed beside him, but she moved away instead, gathering her clothes together and proceeding to pull them on.

"We need to be dressed, at any rate." She said in response to his inquisitive glance. "In case they need us to be in the core, if there is an emergency."

Nodding to show that he'd understood, Neo kicked back the blankets and reached over the side of the bed, pulling on the shirts he'd worn the previous day. He grumbled as he left the warmth of his bed, padding across the frosty, metal floor in search of his boots. Trinity smiled, pulling back the blankets and then sitting herself on the edge of the bed to watch him. Presently, he returned to sit beside her, dropping both boots to the floor.

Trinity sat beside him, stiff and without so much as a motion of movement, both hands resting on either side. He could tell that she desperately craved more sleep from the dark rings that framed her ice blue eyes. Just looking at her was enough to make anyone feel tired. He was suddenly overcome with a sense of impelling exhaustion, and a desire to be near her. She was his comfort, and his warmth when he was cold and insecure. There were so many unanswered questions buzzing around his mind, and the room was so cold without the warmth of the bed. Forgetting to be shy, and without so much as a word, he let his body drop to the right so that he lay on his side, resting his head on her lap.

Trinity blinked down upon him, stunned by his sudden movement as he nestled his head onto her lap, bringing his legs from the floor and bending them, so that his knees reached his chest, hands clenched and resting in front of his face. She hadn't thought that Neo would have enough courage to even consider doing such a thing. But once she'd recovered from the shock, she couldn't help but be amused by his actions. He was like a child, seeking her comfort as he allowed sleep to claim him. A child afraid of falling asleep and becoming victim to a nightmare….requiring her presence to watch and guard him as if this would happen. Smiling kindly, she began to tug playfully at his hair with one hand, using the other to stabilize them on the bed.

Time passed, and Neo came to decide that it was on a rare occasion that he would be able to wake and then spend time like this with Trinity, without having to worry about being somewhere else or working on something. Just to be able to sit and talk, like ordinary people…sometimes, not often, he wished to be ordinary. To have no initial responsibilities, and to know that his next action would not be in the name of the entire human race. Other times, he was glad he wasn't ordinary. Otherwise, he would find himself craving for purpose, and for excitement. He never wanted to go back to what life was before. So cold, dull and empty. More importantly, he never wanted to leave Trinity.

"Are you still awake?" She asked him quietly after a time, afraid of waking him from much needed rest.

"Yes." He murmured groggily after a pause, lifting heavy eyelids and blinking away sleep. "Do you want to talk?"

"I was just thinking." She muttered in reply, as if the matter was of little importance.

"About what?"

"I think…I think you should go and see the Oracle again." She replied, keeping her tone calm and even, although she could feel his heart pounding in her ribcage at the thought.

"Why?" He asked confusedly, closing his eyes once more and nuzzling his head into her lap. He could almost taste her unique scent on his lips, overwhelming him as he lay so close to her. "What should I ask her about?"

"Well…about that woman, for one thing. The one who looks like me." She said pointedly. "And….and about what you're meant to do…as the One."

"Oh." He mumbled, wishing that they could leave the topic alone. It was not a thing he wanted to discuss, as it reminded him that he had an unknown mission to fulfill, and that billions of people were depending on him to do it. "That."

"I know." She whispered, tugging at his hair, so thin and wispy between her fingers. "But….you're going to have to think about it sooner or later."

"I wish I didn't." He admitted sadly. He had no desire to tell her what was on his mind, because he was afraid of what she may think. "Sometimes….I just wish it could be normal."

"There is no such thing as normality anymore." She said. "Maybe there was years ago, but normal is only a thing of the past now. How can anything be normal, when three quarters of the human population is living inside a computer program, while the remaining quarter live in a world threatened by a race of machines?"

"You have a point." He said with a laugh.

"What is normal anyway?" She asked, more to herself than to him.

Neo took a time to consider this. He remembered the moment just before he flew for the first time two days ago…when he had stood and watched the crowd pass him by along that busy street. The business men, the mothers and their toddlers, the children skipping home from school, and the teenagers chatting to their friends. They all led normal, happy lives….but they lacked excitement…they lacked motivation….they lacked freedom.

"Normal is boring." He finally concluded. "Normal is control. If you want to be normal, then you must follow certain rules and keep to certain boundaries. Otherwise, you'd be breaking the trend of what normal really is. Normal is without originality."

Trinity paused to consider this, slightly taken aback by his words. She had not expected him to reply, and especially without such words of wisdom and hidden meaning. It was hard to believe that someone who seemed so naive could have such a deep understanding of everything.

"Hey, what do you think the machines would consider normal?" He asked quietly. It was a question that seemed pointless, and unrelated to anything. But somehow it felt comfortable to speak about things that did not matter, as it allowed his mind to be consumed by something other than what the future held for him.

"I don't know." Trinity replied. "I guess normal to them is destruction, exclusion by the human race, feeding off the power of other humans….flying….screeching. God, they must think we're strange, then."

"So normal differs depending on culture." Neo concluded. "I guess then it's hard to define normal, isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose it is." She said thoughtfully, absentmindedly continuing to toy with his hair. "So, would you want to be normal? Would you want to be boring?"

He shook his head firmly, moving it against her lap. "No. I just….I just don't know what to do. It's hard. Sometimes, I'd rather just not have to think about it."

She sighed, unable to deny that she knew what he spoke about. She did not know how to answer him…how to comfort him. She knew that there was no denying the fact that he would one day have to face his destiny.

"Do…do you want me to see the Oracle for you?" She suggested meekly.

He shook his head again. "It's up to me. I'm the One."

"You're still injured." She pointed out. "You can't jack in until you've healed. It would be faster if I went in your place."

She felt as if he were more a child now than ever. He lay on her lap so helplessly, with more than enough on his mind. She felt like his mother, wanting to take away his burden by stepping into his place, and sorting things out for him.

"No, Trin. I have to do it." He answered sternly, with mixed emotions in his tone. She wished that he would move so that she could see his face. "I'm the One. It's all me. All alone…"

"No, you're not alone." She replied. "You'll never be alone. You'll have me. Always."

There was something in her words that made him want to look into her eyes to see if he could tell if she really meant what she said. It was something of such greatest importance to him…to have someone there when he felt alone. He needed to be sure that she meant it. He moved his head so that he was still lying on her lap, but now he faced the ceiling, and could stare up into her eyes.

"Always?" He said.

She stared down upon him, lying so innocently and childlike in her lap, staring up at her with an expectant, wide-eyed expression on his face. She fixed him with a look of deepest sincerity, and spoke in a tone to match, keeping her voice no louder than a whisper.

"Always."

(o)

A/N: Thanks for reading, please review!


	27. Raven's awakening

27

"Raven will begin his training this afternoon, once he has had time to recover from the shock of learning the truth." Morpheus explained some hours later when the crew had assembled in the core. "For now, I've decided to jack into the Matrix myself and arrange a meeting with the Oracle."

"The Oracle?" Neo asked confusedly, wondering if perhaps the same thoughts that had been going through Trinity's mind were shared by his captain.

Morpheus nodded. "In order to ask about that creature that attacked you when we were unplugging Raven two days ago. We need to know what it is, in case it proves to be any threat to us." He turned to face both Neo and Trinity directly, his eyes darting from one to the other. "Are you sure the creature told you nothing more then what you told me while working on Raven, Trinity?"

Trinity firmly shook her head, leaning against a consol screen with her arms folded across her chest. Morpheus nodded, and turned his attentions to Tank, who was twisting around in his chair at the consol to better be attentive to the conversation. As this happened, Neo caught Trinity's eye from Morpheus's opposite side, and they shared a smile before she turned away again.

"While I'm gone, I need at least one of you to be keeping an eye on Raven at all times in case he should wake up." Morpheus instructed. "Though I doubt this should happen until I'm back. Nevertheless, I don't want him to wake up alone."

"You don't want us to go with you?" Neo questioned, to which Morpheus shook his head with a smile.

"I'd rather go alone. Especially when you still need to recover from your injury." He paused, reading and understanding the downcast expression written in Neo's eyes. "Don't worry, the Oracle will contact you when it is time for you to know your purpose. Until then, there is no reason to trouble yourself with it."

"Right." Neo replied, forcing himself to smile. Not entirely convinced, Morpheus turned away from him and proceeded to his usual jack-in chair. Tank tapped in the appropriate hack and then approached his captain with a wide grin, before inserting the needle into the back of the other man's skull. Morpheus remained motionless, and uttered not a sound as his mind was launched into the virtual world.

"Well," Tank said brightly, returning to his seat and swiveling around to face the screens that displayed the code. "Morpheus is in the Matrix, Raven's sound asleep on the lower deck, and I'll be sitting here. So looks like you've pretty much got most of the ship to yourselves, huh?"

Trinity scowled, but remained silent, shooting Neo a menacing glance when he snorted with laughter, and then had to cough in order to hide it. Tank chuckled bemusedly, and held up a hand in parting as she started back down the corridor away from the core with Neo close behind her.

"You feeling sick or tired?" Trinity asked him quietly as they approached the door to the Mess Hall. She had noticed – upon awakening for the second time that day when Morpheus had summoned them to the core by means of the intercom – that Neo's face, though always pale, was seemingly whiter than usual, and there was a dull tinge to is usually vibrant coffee coloured eyes. But as she had been preoccupied since they had awoken, she had not yet found the time to question him about it.

"A little." He admitted. "I have a bit of a headache, and I wish Raven could have waited a little longer before he decided to wake up the whole ship this morning."

This was partly true, although he was glad that they had had the chance to spend some time together without carrying the burden of war, to discuss whatever they pleased. It had been relaxing to talk with someone like her, and he knew that he would rather have this than a few extra hours sleep while Morpheus explained the truth to Raven.

"It couldn't be helped." Trinity shrugged. "Different people recover and awake at different times, depending on their age, and how quickly they can heal. Because Raven is so young, it was easier for him to recover from being unplugged than it was for you, although I have to admit that you healed incredibly fast considering your age."

"My God, was that a compliment?" Neo joked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No, it was a statement." She retorted playfully, grinning as she wrenched open the door to the Mess Hall, and held it open so that he would be able to follow in behind her.

(o)

Neo approached the door to Raven's room, resenting the job Trinity had assigned him to. He had no idea what he should do or say should Raven be awake when he checked on him, and he had been enjoying the leisurely conversation he and Trinity had shared while he sat beside her in the Mess Hall and he ate his way through breakfast. The fact that he had been interrupted from this was irritable in itself, only adding to his dislike of the task.

Nevertheless, he tapped lightly upon the surface of the steel door, and then pulled it open with a soft creak, lest he wake the sleeper that lay beyond. Peering into the dimly lit room, he was able to see the outline of Raven's dark figure lying stiffly across the top of the bed, the blankets tucked in neatly bellow him and the nets behind his bed laden with supplies. An empty IV pouch still hung on the wall, the needle slack beside his body. He slept on his stomach, head buried into the pillows as he had done so when in the Matrix, yet now he hardly breathed, let alone snored as he had done before.

Smiling, Neo opened the door a fraction wider and stepped into the room, tiptoeing across the steel floor with the intentions of retrieving the IV pouch, that obviously had not been removed since Trinity had set it there the day before. As he grew closer to the bed, his eyes became set on Raven's seemingly lifeless face, and he was once again startled by the dramatic change in the boy's appearance, and had to wonder if the same thing had happened to him during his unplugging, and what Trinity had thought in regards to his near-to-bald scalp.

As his mind was far too focused on the thoughts swimming round his head, he lost track of the direction of his footing and stumbled into the side of the bed. He gasped in shock the moment he jabbed his toe into the side of the steel base, emitting a loud, ringing pang that echoed about the walls of the room. He cursed under his breath, silently praising whomever had invented the sturdy boots he wore. However, the noise he had created had been too loud for Raven's liking, and the boy was awake in an instant, sitting up with a shout.

"You!" He cried when he came to realize what had woken him, pointing a finger accusingly in Neo's general direction.

"Oh." Neo replied meekly from his place beside the bed, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand. "Hello."

Regaining his composure, Raven swung his legs over the edge of the bed and placed a hand on either side of his body, watching Neo curiously, his dark eyes shining with distrust. Frankly, Neo couldn't blame him, as he doubted he would be able to trust himself if he had been in Raven's position.

"Where's Morpheus?" He asked darkly. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I do live here." Neo replied pointedly. "I'm meant to be watching over you while Morpheus has gone into the Matrix."

"Why the hell should he want to go in there?" Raven said angrily, fear entwined with each word. Neo could almost feel insecurity radiating off his very being, and wondered if others had been able to sense the same thing inside from him when he had first been unplugged.

"To speak with the Oracle." He answered as calmly as he could.

"Who the fuck is the Oracle?" Raven cried, forgetting to keep his voice low and sullen.

"Hey, relax a little would you?" Neo eased. "It's all going to be explained in time."

"Oh well excuse me for overreacting." Raven said sardonically. "But what do you expect. It's not everyday a legendary hacker strolls up to you and says 'Hey dude, guess what? Everything that's happened in your life so far is a bloody lie!'"

"Listen, I know how you feel, because I went through the same thing two months ago, and I'm still not over it." Neo said. "But it gets easier, trust me. You just have to be open minded if you're going to accept things. But the most important thing to remember is to stay in a positive frame of mind."

"I appreciate the fact that you're trying to help me, but the last thing I need right now is another lecture."

"Right." Neo muttered. "Um…sorry…you still want to know what the Oracle is?"

"Yeah, that'd be swell."

"The Oracle is a computer program designed by the Matrix, but who fights for us in the war. She's been helping us since the beginning, by telling us our true calling and destiny, and helping us to find our paths. She helped me to become the One." He paused to read the puzzled expression on Raven's face. "Erm…Morpheus told you what that is, right?"

"No," Raven shot back bitterly, his voice raising higher and higher with each word. "I think he was a bit too preoccupied explaining that the whole world is actually inexistent, and that while I thought I was living a normal teenage life, failing tests and reading porn magazines, my body was really floating around in a pod giving off energy to this race of assassinating robots that are now trying to kill me!"

"Okay, okay." Neo ushered, muttering aloud to himself. "This is going to be a lot harder than I thought."

"What is?"

"Explaining things." Neo said with a worn smile. "Now I know how hard it must be for Morpheus."

"Will you just tell me what the hell this 'One' thing is?" Raven scowled.

"Sorry." Neo sighed, leaning back against the bare wall opposite Raven's bed. The boy pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around him and staring intently at the older man, eyes filled with curiosity. "Listen, I'm not too good at this, but I'll give it my best, ok?"

Raven merely nodded in reply, and went on staring intently. Neo sighed again, bending his head and stroking his chin in concentration, trying to remember what Morpheus had told him when he'd first awoken in his room after recovering from the shock of knowing the truth.

"When the Matrix was first built, a man was born inside. This man had the power to alter the Matrix at will, and to change things to suit his needs. He was the first to free the minds of others like you, and to bring them into the real world. But when he died, that Oracle person made a prophecy, telling everyone that the One would soon return in the form of another. That other is me. I'm the One."

"So…so that's a help to us…why?"

"Well, as you probably already know, we've been at war with the machines for a century now. It was prophesied that when the One returned, he would destroy the Matrix, and end the war."

"How will destroying the Matrix end the war?" Raven asked ignorantly.

"Well think about it!" Neo replied, increasingly growing impatient with Raven's naivety. Now he finally understood why Tank and Trinity resented the task of introducing 'newbies' to the real world. "The Matrix is the power source for the machines. Once it's destroyed, they'll be no humans left for them to gain energy from. No energy and they die out. We win. Simple as that."

"How are you going to destroy the Matrix, dude?" Raven asked, perhaps with greater respect in his manner.

"I don't know yet. I'm waiting for the Oracle to tell me."

"Why don't you just go and talk to the Oracle yourself?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because I don't want to be having this conversation right now!" Neo retorted, immediately ashamed of the fact that he had risen his voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to shout. I was just getting annoyed."

"Well sorry for being so stupid, but I'm just trying to get my head around things right now, ok!?" Raven replied angrily.

"Sorry." Neo repeated. "My fault. Won't happen again. Morpheus just thinks that it's better that we wait for the Oracle to contact us about it. I guess it's just not time for me to know…"

"But…do can do junk that other people can't or something, right? I mean, I know you all have these wicked abilities normal people don't have. I knew that when I first met you and your lady friend at that club. But as the One, you can probably do more than everyone else, right?"

"Yeah…um…I guess." Neo mumbled bashfully, still unused to receiving attention.

"Wicked cool, man!" Raven gawked, eyes wide with awe. "I can't wait to see what you can do."

"You're not the only one." Neo replied, suddenly remembering the Council that awaited his return in Zion.

"Will I be able to do junk like that soon too?" Raven asked hopefully, excitement now dancing in his deepest brown eyes.

"Oh yeah, sure." Neo replied absentmindedly. "Once we train you up, then it shouldn't be a problem."

"When to I start training?"

"When Morpheus gets back."

"When will that be?"

Neo shrugged. "Soon, I guess. He told us that you should be ready for training by the afternoon."

"What do I do until then?"

"Get as much rest as you can."

Raven scowled. "You expect me to be able to sleep when I have to think about all this?"

"You seemed to sleep perfectly well before." Neo shrugged. "And look on the bright side of things. At least you don't have to worry about your grades or your parents anymore."

"Hmm…now that's looking on the bright side of things." Raven beamed. "Man, I feel better already. You're right, huh? They're not really my parents after all anyway."

Neo opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted when the door creaked open and both he and Raven turned to see Trinity in the doorframe with a perplexed expression on her face. Neo smiled the instant he saw her, and Trinity returned it curtly whilst brushing a strand of ebony hair behind her ear, which did not go without alerting Raven's attention.

"What's going on?" Trinity asked, looking between both occupants of the bedroom. "Neo, you've been here for almost twenty minutes."

"Raven woke up and I had to explain things to him." Neo said apologetically. "Sorry if I worried you."

"You didn't." Trinity replied sternly, though the smile on her face only strengthened. She turned away from him briefly, bringing her attentions to the boy who sat upon the bed. "You're alright?"

Raven nodded wordlessly, staring up at her, gawking, until she could ignore it no longer.

"What's your problem?" She shot darkly.

"You're one hot chick." Raven said in utmost awe. He opened his mouth again as if to add more, but was cut off when she shot him her most menacing look. By this stage, he knew better than to compliment her again.

Neo felt his entire being swell with anger when he heard Raven's words, only to have it released when he read the expression on Trinity's face in response. Later, he thought how odd it was that a fifteen year old had the ability to cause him to feel such a sensation of jealousy. Though at the time, all traces of this already past event were pushed from his mind when Trinity turned her back on Raven purposely and strode towards Neo instead, standing close to him so that they could share a whispered conversation.

"What should we do with him?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder briefly as she spoke to ensure that Raven was still seated on his bed. "We can't just leave him sitting here, and he obviously isn't going to want anymore rest."

"I don't know." Neo shrugged. "I guess we could keep talking to him, and tell him more about this world until Morpheus gets back."

"Does he look like the sort of kid who'd sit still for that amount of time?" Trinity reasoned, moving even closer to him to fill the already almost nonexistent gap.

"I guess you have a point." He replied, smiling down into her eyes just as an idea occurred to him. "Hey, I know. Why don't we show him more of the ship to take up some time? He's probably only seen this room, the core and the Med Bay so far, and I doubt he's even had a proper look at these rooms."

"Good idea." She complimented with a smirk. "Well do you want to show him, or will I?"

"I'll do it." Neo replied hurriedly, perhaps too fast. Both knew that the main reason for him wanting to do so was because of the comments Raven had made about Trinity before.

"Fine." She answered after a pause, secretly unable to deny that she was both flattered and appalled by his response to Raven's actions. _Honestly, jealous of a fifteen year old? What next, will he start worrying that I'm getting too close to an Agent? Although I have to admit that I've done worse…I still can't believe I used to be worried about some stupid program!_

"I'm going to relieve Tank in the core." She graced him with one final smile before she prepared her leave. "See you soon."

Neo watched her go, not taking his eyes from her until she'd past through the door, and then left his gaze there long after she had gone. It was times like these that he wished he were not so attracted to her…that she would not walk with that singular, unique flair that only she seemed to posses. He only managed to turn away when Raven interrupted his thoughts.

"What was that all about?" He asked slyly, in a tone almost identical to the one Tank used when he spoke of Neo's relationship with Trinity.

"What was all what about?" Neo replied shortly, honestly unsure of what Raven meant.

Raven gave him a queer look, and nodded in the direction of the open door. "That."

"Oh." Neo remarked, figuring Raven meant to speak about the past conversation. "Trin – I mean Trinity and I think I should show you some more of the ship, just to take up some time."

Rave shook his head in obvious dismay. "Man, and you thought I was being thick. I'm not talking about what you were saying, I'm talking about what you were _doing_."

This only confused Neo even further, and he shot Raven a blank glance. "What was I doing?"

"You were flirting with her, you jackass!" Raven cried in frustration, massaging his head with his hands. "It's pretty damn obvious that you've got the hotts for her, anyone can see that."

Neo felt the colour flood into his face, and a burning sensation lingered upon his cheeks. He turned away so that Raven wouldn't notice, but unfortunately he moved a fraction too late.

"Ha! I knew it!" Raven beamed delightedly. "So…you guys are seeing each other or something? Or doesn't she even know yet?"

Neo remained silent, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other and instantly finding that he desired to be anywhere else other than where he was at that time. Deciding he would be unable to deter any further information from Neo, Raven left the conversation as it was and got quickly to his feet.

"You gonna show me this joint or what?" He demanded. Relieved to see that he no longer needed to address the matter of his relationship with Trinity, Neo led the way to the door of the room with Raven at his heels.

(o)

"At last! Company!" Tank beamed in delight when he felt a presence in the core, and swiveled around in his chair to face the woman that stood solemnly behind him, staring avidly at the neon, raindrop coding. "How's it going, Trinity?"

"That Raven is an incredibly irritating and dislikeable individual." Trinity replied sullenly, causing her companion to laugh. "This is the second time he's labeled me as being 'hot'."

"Well who could blame him?" Tank howled with laughter. "He's a hormone crazed teenager, what did you expect? Anyway, he wouldn't be the first, would he? What did Neo think about it?"

"He didn't say anything." Trinity said with a shrug, peering closer at the code in front of her, displaying Morpheus having what appeared to be an intense conversation with the Oracle. "What's been happening?"

"Not much. They've been talking for ages, it's actually been pretty boring." Tank leaned back in his seat, tilting the chair towards her and resting his arm on the back. "So you say Raven's awake?"

Trinity nodded. "Neo's giving him a tour of the ship to take up time until Morpheus returns."

"Well hopefully that won't be too much longer." Tank replied, speaking seriously for once as he sat up properly in his seat. "The sooner we can get back to Zion, the better. Do you know about the deadline for the Council yet, or hasn't Neo told you already?"

(o)

"…and this room…well, this room pretty much speaks for itself."

Raven peered over Neo's shoulder into the small bathroom that lay beyond, housing a washbasin and a toilet, eyes widening in sudden understanding.

"Uh…huh…"

"Over here is the shower block." Neo explained, gesturing to the shower cubicles opposite the bathrooms in the small corridor. "You may have seen that someone put plenty of supplies and things in the nets hanging above your bed. All your usual toiletries will be in there somewhere."

"So guys and girls use the same showers?" Raven questioned as he came to stand by Neo's side, only continuing once the other man had nodded. "So there would be nothing to stop me from 'accidentally' walking in on another woman on this ship having a shower?"

"Nothing accept the lock on the door." Neo replied, feeling his face grow hot when he realized that Trinity was the only female crewmember on board the Nebuchadnezzar.

"So is this where you and your lady friend get down with it?" He asked, speaking as if it were a perfectly normal affair. "'Cos I ain't ever taking a shower here if it is."

"Err…no." Neo mumbled, feeling his cheeks redden once again.

"Just checking." Raven chuckled, speaking in the irritating accent only he seemed to possess. "So how many chicks you got around here anyway?"

"Trinity is the only one."

"What!?" Raven cried in pure astoundment. "No chicks! God, no wonder you like Trinity. She's the only woman you've really ever seen!"

"Actually, she isn't. There was another female crewmember who used to work on this ship when I was only just unplugged, but she died fighting for the resistance along with four male crewmembers." Neo stated, meeting Raven's eyes directly. "And there are plenty of other women. In Zion."

"What's that?"

"It's the last human city, and the only place we have left where we can live in safety and not worry about the machines. You'll get to see it in time, don't worry." He smiled. "Any more questions?"

"Yeah, you haven't shown me anywhere I can listen to music yet."

"Sorry, Raven." Neo stammered, preparing himself for the expected reaction. "But there isn't any music available to listen to when we're on board the ship."

The reaction, in Neo's frame of mind, was predictable. Raven's jaw dropped automatically and he began to mouth wordlessly, emitting odd choking sounds in between startled breaths. His eyes literally bulged from within their sockets, glistening in the artificially lit corridor, and his leathery dark skin stretched out over his face in the strain made by his muscles to maintain his facial expression. Even the worn, cotton clothes we wore seemed to struggle to hold his very body in tact.

"Say what?" He gaped, voice higher than it usually sounded. "You're joshing me, right man?"

Neo shook his head shortly, causing Raven to erupt in a series of bewildered squeaks. He shook his head in denial, blinking as if it could erase what had just been said.

"Ok, so you expect me to live in some futuristic hovercraft where everything is made out of metal, where I have to wear these unstylish looking garbs, where there's no music, and the only hot chick around is taken!?"

"Yeah." Neo grinned. "Pretty much."

Raven gasped, smacking his hand against his bald forehead in dismay. The hand froze, and felt along is bald scalp in search of hair that was no longer there. "No dreadlocks!? Shit…I think I need to go lie down…"

He began to dawdle down the corridor, massaging his temple and muttering to himself, leaving Neo to snigger to himself as he watched him leave.

"I think you'd like Zion a whole lot better." He called after his companion. "Don't worry, it's very different once you get there."

"Yeah…sure…whatever you say." Raven replied vaguely, drifting dreamily down the corridor.

Neo laughed even harder, unable to deny the overwhelming sense of gladness that had overcome him. For once, he was not the one inexperienced. He was the one people came to when they had a question that needed to be answered. He felt wise within his new status, and decided that although he already disliked the task of showing newbies their new environment, it certainly did have its own benefits. He began to follow Raven to the end of the corridor, when he heard Morpheus's voice cackle over the intercom.

"Neo, bring Raven down to the core as soon as possible. It's time for him to begin his training; and I have a message for you from the Oracle."

The last statement was added carelessly, and is though it was of little importance. However, Neo knew that this one sentence may be a link to the key source of unlocking his destiny. Perhaps the Oracle was ready to tell him what he was meant to do as the One to end the war. Maybe now he would finally be shown the way. Without a moment to waste, he grasped hold of Raven's idol hand and sprinted to the core, dragging the startled teenager behind him.

"You got here quick." Tank commented when he saw Neo arrive. Neo momentarily chose to ignore him, his mind already too preoccupied with other thoughts.

"What's the message?" He asked breathlessly, turning to Morpheus straight away and loosening his hold on Raven's hand so that he could slip away. "What did the Oracle say?"

"Only that she understood what you must be going through, and she was sorry she couldn't help it. She's promised that the time for you to know your path will come soon, and when it does, she'll send you a sign. It will happen when you least expect it, and it will occur when an unexpected event takes place. When this happens, you are to go straight to find her, and she will tell you everything. Until that happens, she only says for you to forget about your true calling, and to enjoy life while it lasts." Morpheus sighed when he saw the downcast expression in Neo's eyes. "I'm sorry, Neo, I really am. I know that it's not easy for you."

"I wish she would have told me more…" He mumbled, keeping his eyes on the floor with disappointment and rage. He was angry with both the Oracle for not telling him his true calling, and with himself for allowing himself to believe that the answer to all his problems would come so simply.

"She will tell you more." Morpheus comforted. "When you're ready. For now, I suggest you follow her advice."

Neo nodded disappointedly, and moved to stand beside Trinity. She cast him a sympathetic glance, unable to help feeling angry and disappointed herself, as much as she'd rather not know what the future held for them. She hated seeing him this way, waiting for answers that would not come until he was ready. Ready for what, she did not know, and nor did he. So how could he prepare himself? At once, her heart filled with bitter dislike and distaste towards the Oracle, despite the fact that it was the Oracle who had helped her to fall in love in the first place. While both Morpheus and Tank had turned their attention to Raven, she stretched out her hand and found his, entwining their fingers together and clasping it tightly. She found then that his fingers were hot and clammy, and soothingly began to graze her thumb across his knuckles. He cast her a sideways smile, deciding that now was not the best time to inform her that Raven was watching.

"Tank, I'm going to leave Raven with you. I want you to run him through as many operation programs as you possibly can, and some more advanced skills if there's time." Morpheus ordered, then turned to his two other crewmembers. "The two of you need to speak with me in the Mess Hall immediately. There's many things we need to discuss."

(o)

"So who is she, Morpheus?" Neo asked once all had been seated in the Mess Hall, with the captain opposite his crew. "Did the Oracle know?"

"Of course the Oracle knew, Neo." Morpheus said with a smirk. "I would have thought you knew enough about her by now to not need to ask that question. It turns out that, apparently this new enemy of ours is no more than an Agent."

"An Agent?" Trinity asked curiously, coaxing her head to the side in question.

Morpheus nodded. "One who calls itself Senesis. Once Smith had been destroyed, the Matrix's equation needed to balance itself out." He paused upon receiving several blank looks in response to his comment. "The Matrix is a system built on rules, and like everything that is in this nature, there needs to be an equal balance between what is right and wrong. We call that balance the equation. In order to maintain that equation, there needs to be a right to every wrong, or a yang to every yin. When Smith was destroyed, the system was able to realize that the equation was unbalanced, and in order to balance itself out once more, it needed to create a new program to take Smith's place. One that was stronger than the it's predecessor."

"So this is a female, more powerful version of Smith that happens to look, and act and sound exactly like Trinity?" Neo questioned, gripping the mug of water in front of him tightly with both hands.

"Not actually a female Agent." Morpheus said cryptically. "This particular Agent can be both male and female. In fact, Senesis could be anything at all."

"What do you mean?" Said Trinity.

"The system knew that it could not simply create another Smith. It needed to create something much stronger, and much more powerful so that it would be able to defeat Neo. Thus, the equation could balance itself out again. So this Agent has been given new abilities that no Agent has had before. Not only is Senesis stronger and faster than Smith, but also has the ability to shape shift."

"Shape shift?" Neo blinked, unsure if he had heard correctly. A shape shifter was the sort of creature that belonged in a child's fantasy story, but certainly not in reality…or even in the Matrix.

"It can take on any form it wishes to take at will, which means that it must have been impersonating Trinity when it fought you, Neo. It was part of its plan to lure you into its trap, by convincing you to trust it until it was too late." Morpheus explained. "It does this by taking a sample of another fragment of coding, and altering its own to match it exactly. It then takes on the characteristics of that person to perfection, and sometimes it even takes on some of the personal abilities that person has. Which means it would be terrible for us if it was able to transform itself into Neo."

"So how to we defeat something that's strong, fast and can change shape and ability at will?" Neo asked, more to himself than to others as he stared down at the table, lost in thought.

"I honestly don't know." Morpheus said truthfully. "What I do know is that Neo is our only hope of stopping Senesis, and I don't suggest that either of you go looking for it. Let it come to us."

It was odd, Trinity pondered, that Morpheus should refer to Senesis as in 'it'. But she supposed that something that could change its appearance at will did not have an original gender, unless it took on an original form. Obviously, Morpheus did not know if it could or not, or he would have said so much earlier in the conversation.

"One of us must be sure to find a moment to tell Tank all I have told you. But make sure to do it when Raven isn't around to eavesdrop. The matters of this ship have nothing to do with him."

"Why not?" Neo questioned, remembering with regret that he had told Raven of his being the One. "Raven's a part of this ship, isn't he?"

"Raven is underage, Neo." Trinity reminded him quietly. "He'll be sent to the academy as soon as we return to Zion. He'll only stay with us until we've finished training him, and after that it's highly unlikely that he should ever come to work on our ship again."

"Why? Have you told him anything?" Morpheus asked anxiously.

"Only that I am the One." Neo stuttered, keeping his eyes on the table to avoid their gaze. He could feel them staring at him in shock, and felt his face grow hot.

"It's best to consult me before you tell anyone from now on." Morpheus ordered sternly, after taking time to recover from this. "At least until the Council tells the rest of Zion about it. Be sure to tell him to not say a word about it again."

"I'm sorry." Neo mumbled, just as he felt a hand reach out and grasp his below the table, and warm fingers stroke his palm. He followed the arm connected to it, eventually finding himself looking into a pair of ice blue eyes, belonging to the woman beside him.

"It's not your fault." She reassured him. "You couldn't have known."

"Anyway, it doesn't matter now. What's done is done." Morpheus added. "Now, I'm going to have to ask one of you to take the entire night shift in the core, while the rest of us are training Raven by day. I don't know how long it will take, but I'm guessing it will be about two weeks. I don't usually ask this of anyone, but considering the size of our crew…"

"I'll do the night shift." Neo volunteered, just as Morpheus's words triggered the memory of a conversation almost forgotten. "Morpheus, Tank told me that the deadline for the Council is in three days. Well, two days now…"

"I can see where you're heading with this Neo, and you needn't worry, I've already sorted it out." Said Morpheus. "There is a ship that will pass by here soon on their way home to Zion, and I am planning to send the file with them. Of course, it will still be a few days late, but it's better than being late by two weeks."

"Which ship is it?" Asked Trinity.

"The Hammer."

"Roland's ship." Trinity concluded, to which Morpheus nodded.

"We'll cross paths sometime in the early hours of the morning. If you're going to take the night shifts, Neo, then it will be up to you to wake everyone when this happens tonight."

(o)

Neo sat himself in front of the code, yawning as he watched a family picnic at a beach somewhere later that night. Parents spread out their beach towels and chairs, while their children ran excitedly across the purest white sand, dabbling their feet in the shimmering blue waters of the ocean as it lapped up upon the shore. Seagulls flew gaily across the blaze of the sun, soaring into the distance over the water and allowing the cool, summers breeze to carry them. They were screeching, he guessed, and he supposed the children were laughing and playing with one another without a care in the world. Their parents sat together in the sand, lost in what appeared to be a deep and meaningful conversation. He had an impending desire to hear what they had to say, and to be able to listen to the sounds of the waves if he had been there with them…

A hand shot out of the darkness and took hold of his shoulder, causing him to jump in his chair. Whirling around to face the newcomer, he met with Raven's obviously amused face, and frowned whilst the boy howled with laughter.

"Man I love doing that to people." He sighed heavily, leaving his hand on Neo's shoulder and peering over him to read the code. "Hey, what's all that green stuff?"

"The Matrix code." He explained effortlessly, not tearing his eyes from the screen. "It shows you anything you want to see within the Matrix from the real world. Only problem is it always remains encoded."

"So I'm looking at the place where I used to live, huh?" He said interestedly, keeping his face so close to the screens that they almost brushed against his oversized nose. "Whoa, how to you read this?"

"You have to learn." Neo said tiredly. "Usually it takes forever, and it will be a while before you can completely understand it. But you will soon. Trust me."

"How long did it take you?"

"One day."

"No shit! Who taught you?"

"I did."

"Say what?"

Neo frowned, wishing that Raven didn't have to continually use the same, irritating, expression. "I taught me." He replied through clenched teeth.

"You must be a pretty good teacher, then." He paused, backing away from the screen. Neo could feel him breathing down his neck. "Hey, can you teach me?"

"Maybe not now." Neo answered, struggling to maintain a friendly smile.

"Aw, why not?" He pouted.

"I'm not a very good teacher."

"C'mon, you must be if you could teach yourself."

"I was a special case." He reasoned. "You…"

"I'm a fast learner. I'll pick it up." He buffed out his chest proudly, smirking to himself as he did so. "I taught myself how to lip read, after all."

"Lip read?" Neo questioned, now suddenly finding himself interested in the conversation. If he could lip read, then he may be able to understand conversations between people when watching the Matrix code. He smiled, now finally understanding what talents Raven possessed that Morpheus had thought necessary to the resistance.

"Yeah, I started to teach myself when I was about eight." He grinned in self satisfaction. "You see, the was this girl living in the apartment block opposite me at the time, and she was the ultimate babe. Her bedroom window faced onto mine, and I used to watch her silhouette on the curtains of her window while she got changed. But you see, she had this really nasty looking boyfriend, and whenever he came over and they would go up to her room and talk, I could always see their lips moving, but never understand what they were saying. So I started to pay attention to people when they talked to me, and took note of their lip formations and stuff. By the time I was twelve, I could lip read. Unfortunately by then, the girl had moved out and bought her own apartment." He shrugged his shoulders meekly. "Meh, she was too old for me anyway."

"Fascinating." Neo said sarcastically after a pause. "Hey listen, do you think you could teach me to lip read?"

Raven shrugged. "It'll cost ya."

"What if I taught you to read the code, and you taught me how to lip read? If you're not too tired after training, you can meet me here every night and we can practice. Sound good?"

"Man you got yourself a deal!" Raven punched the air in triumph, then held out his hand, which Neo took and shook reluctantly.

"So when do we start?" Raven beamed. "Right now?"

As if to answer his question, one of the monitors nearby flashed on, reading the signal of an approaching ship. Neo stared at for a moment as if in a trance, wondering why a ship should be approaching them before he remembered Morpheus's words and snapped himself from his daze. Snatching the intercom in hand, he held the mouthpiece to his lips and called into it timidly.

"Um…the ship's here, so…err…I guess you should all get up now."

He set it down again, and within minutes Morpheus, Trinity and Tank had arrived in the core, half dressed and dreary with sleep. Neo stepped aside, allowing Morpheus to take his place and seize the communicator in hand.

"This is Captain Morpheus of the Nebuchadnezzar. Roland, do you copy?"

"Read you loud and clear, Morpheus." The dry voice of an elderly male cackled in reply, his voice issuing from the communicator held in Morpheus's hand. "Shall we set the ships near the gorge over there?"

"Alright. I'll meet you there." Morpheus finished, setting the communicator aside. He stood from the seat, offering it to Tank who took his place instantly. "Tank, prepare the file so we can hand it over as soon as possible. Trinity, take Neo and Raven and equip them both with rifles. Be sure to bring one for Tank and I, and then meet me in the cockpit."

Trinity nodded, taking the cuff of the sleeve of Neo's grey over-shirt in her hand and pulled her after him down a corridor and to a door he must have past countless times before, but never thought to open. She trust it open now, to reveal a sort of closet that was home to several advanced looking rifles, and a series of other weapons. She handed a rifle to each, as well as a sash that held spare bullets. Raven received his weapons delightedly, a devious smile spreading across his face, while Neo shot her a doubtful look.

"You probably won't have to use it, don't worry." She said with a soft smile. "It's only a precaution in case sentinels should attack while we're out in the open."

"We're going to leave the ship?" He asked worriedly.

"How else do you expect to transfer the file to them?" She asked rhetorically, fitting herself with a sash and rifle, then holding it out before him. "Just so you know, you use this to power it up, and this to trigger it, ok?"

Neo nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. He knew she was right in saying that it was only a precaution, and the odds of a sentinel attack were slim. But even so, he couldn't help but worry when an advanced weapon of destruction now lay in his arms. Raven, on the other hand, was leaping about with excitement, and aiming the rifle at randomly chosen objects all the way to the cockpit, where Morpheus awaited them, already seated at the controls.

"I've taken her off auto-pilot." He informed Trinity as she took the seat beside him. "We're aiming to land near that gorge south-west of our current location. We'll need four starboard, 60 degrees, twenty percent…"

Attempting to understand the conversation shared between Morpheus and Trinity was like trying to understand another language, but for once Neo decided not to ask questions, and mentally took note of things to ask later. He may have piloted the ship before, but it seemed he obviously needed much more practice. He watched in silence, listening to the sounds of Raven's shallow breathing beside him and the shuddering of the ship as it slowly came to land beside the small gorge beside another, larger hovercraft already waiting for them, its crew assembled before its open entrance.

"Looks like we're late." Trinity muttered, as she brought the ship to a slow and graceful landing beside the Hammer.

"Is the file ready, Tank?" Morpheus questioned over the intercom.

"Sure is." Tank replied cheerily. "Meet you all at the entrance."

Trinity got from her seat, removing her seatbelt and stepping past both Raven and Neo, leading the way to the ladder.

(o)

"Long time no see, Morpheus." Roland greeted warmly, stepping away from his crew to shake the other captain's hand. He was much older than Morpheus, Neo observed, and his pale, ghostly face was wrinkled and worn with age and exhaustion, as was the hand he used to shake hands with each individual crewmember.

"Yes, this certainly is an unexpected meeting." Morpheus replied coolly, giving the impression that his relationship with the man before him was a neutral one. "Allow me to introduce my two newest crewmembers, Neo and Raven."

"Good to meet you both." Roland said, his tone as hard as iron. He may have been old, but he certainly wasn't soft. His face was sharp, his eyes cruel, black slits and he seemed almost incapable of smiling. Not even the balding white flicks of hair sprouting atop his head were unviolent.

"Have you any new crewmembers?" Morpheus asked in an attempt to make pleasant conversation.

"No, still the same as always." He gestured to the people assembled behind him, then drew his attention back to both Neo and Raven. "Sorry, rude of me not to introduce you. I'd like you to meet my crew. This is AK, Colt, Mauser and Maggie."

Each person nodded as their name was mentioned, and Neo responded with a polite smile, though hardly took the time to take note of each person's face. He found himself overcome with a sudden sense of exhaustion, and would have liked nothing better than to return to bed and have the entire event over.

"We'll be taking the file then, I suppose?" He questioned, beady eyes scanning the crew suspiciously. Tank stepped forward, pressing a small, compact disk into Roland's outstretched hand. His fingers closed around it, and he drew his hand back to his side.

"Don't mean to sound rude, but do you think you could tell me what the disk is for?"

Morpheus shrugged, acting as though this was of little importance, though both Neo and Trinity felt their hearts begin to thump relentlessly in their chests. "It's something the Council wanted us to try, to see if we could create some new techniques using recording, just for the amusement of it. They wanted it back as soon as possible, so be sure to deliver it to them as soon as you arrive."

"I'll make sure to do that." He frowned, obviously unconvinced. But he did not press the matter any further, and handed held out the disk to Maggie, who stepped forward to accept it, casting a quick smile in Trinity's direction, which she returned.

"Well, I guess we'll be seeing each other sometime in the near future." Roland concluded. "Until then, the best to all of you."

"And to you too, Roland." Morpheus replied blandly. Roland shook hands again with each crewmember, and then he and his crew departed, their ship trembling and humming before the engines sprung to life, and it soared away into the distance.

"So what did you think of Roland?" Trinity whispered to Neo quietly as they proceeded to return to the cockpit to restart the ship.

"He was ok, I suppose." He shrugged. "I really couldn't tell much about him, except that he was old, and that he was tired."

"Roland's always been very quiet and secluded, and doesn't let anyone get close to him at all. It's really hard to tell what's going on in his mind, and I think the only emotion I've ever seen him express is anger, which he shows very frequently. He's the sort of person who gets upset by the smallest things."

Neo could see where she was coming from, as he usually found that he had a gift for sensing things within people, and knowing about their deepest feelings and desires just by looking them in the eye. It was something he had been able to do since he was a child, and had not encountered anyone who he had not been able to see inside completely until today.

Once the ship was in auto-pilot, and sailing off in no apparent direction, Morpheus gave the new orders for his crew.

"You should all get as much sleep as you can, because we have a busy day ahead of us. Neo, I need you to keep working the night shift in the core."

He refused to make any initial complaints for the sake of upholding his job, and therefore being able to take part in something worthwhile, but grumbled about his exhaustion to Trinity all the way back to the core.

(o)

A/N: I'm not entirely sure about the names for Roland's crew, and I had to rely on a transcript I found on the internet to find them out, and my source could be unreliable. So don't kill me if any of the names are mixed up.

People have been reviewing and telling me that something is wrong with chapters 20 and 24. I've tried to fix it, and I hope they're working properlly now

Thanks for reading, please review!


	28. Desires aflame

28

Neo leaned closer to the screens that depicted the Matrix coding, struggling to understand the complex formation of the lips of two teenagers. He had never expected lip-reading to be such a difficult skill to master, and as he was so used to be regarded as a fast learner, he had almost expected to pick it up immediately. Although he had to admit that he'd learnt more than the average person could in the amount of time he'd spent on it over the past two days, he still wasn't satisfied with himself at all.

"You're doing good, man." Raven praised from behind him, his tone carefree and cheerful. "Real good."

He swiveled around in his chair so fast that it shook and creaked, causing the startled Raven to jump back in alarm, clutching onto the tattered blanket he'd wrapped around his lanky shoulders even more tightly.

"How can you know if I'm doing well if you can scarcely read the code yet yourself?" He said pointedly, lips twitching into an evil smile while he rested one pale, frozen hand on the keyboard behind him.

Raven shrugged, moving back to stand behind his companion and regaining his composure. "Well…I can tell that you're concentrating real hard by the look on your face."

Neo sighed exasperatedly, half turning his chair back around to face the screens again. The neon, raindrop coding splattered down over the screens like the way brown and crusted leaves drop from the branches of trees and waft towards the grass at the beginning of the autumn season. Watching it for too long made him feel worn out, and his thoughts began to drift away from what he was meant to be doing to the lower deck of the ship, and the warming comfort of his bed with Trinity. His head felt heavy with exhaustion, and the muscles around his eyelids tightened in the effort to keep them open. He knew that there was no hope in continuing his nightly lessons with Raven tonight.

"Why don't we call it a day?" Neo suggested with a yawn.

Raven nodded, yawning now too. "You know, you were right when you said you were a much faster learner than usual. I didn't think anyone could be faster than me."

"If you're such a fast learner, then why don't you do so well in school?" Neo smirked.

Raven shrugged, staring avidly into space to gather his thoughts before he came up with a response. "Because I ain't interested in what they teach in school, you know? I wanna learn about politics, philosophy, and the rest of the world. I wanna learn what matters." He shook his head, lowering his gaze and smiling to himself. "Sorry, I'm probably not making any sense."

"No, you're making perfect sense." Neo replied meaningfully, intrigued by Raven's unexpected response. "I used to feel the same way about school. They don't teach you what you really need to know…though I guess none of that really matters now."

"Yeah." Raven smiled. "I should quit living in the past."

"No, that's where you're wrong. Facing your past can help you to move on." He turned away, a smile quivering in the corners of his lips. "As humans, our only consolation to sudden change is memory."

"Wow, that's deep, man." Raven replied after a pause, speaking in sudden respect and awe. "Who told you that?"

"Someone…someone very important to me." He stood, jerking his head towards the ladder that led to the lower deck. "Come on, let's get some sleep. Morpheus will be here to take the next shift before too long, and you only have about an hour before he'll wake you up to start training."

He led the way to the lower deck, where they parted and moved in opposite directions, both making their way to their separate rooms. Neo felt as if his very mind was going to cave in with exhaustion by the time he reached his metallic steel front door and turned the wheel sharply, biceps clenching around his arm plugs with the effort it took to finally push it open. Squinting into the darkness, he could just make out the faint outline of their unkempt bed, and the silhouette of a woman curled up in the corner on her side with the thick blankets tucked around her, her calming breath rebounding off the iron wall she faced.

He smiled to himself, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him as softly as he could muster. It creaked, and she stirred, murmuring something inaudible in her sleep and shuffling a little before she stilled herself again. She looked so innocent when she was sleeping…it was hard to believe that by day she was a commanding officer…cold and unfeeling to anyone but him.

He crept across the room, perching on the edge of the bed and unbuckling both boots, setting them aside along with both shirts, which he tore over his head. He scrambled into the bed properly, pulling the blankets around him to protect his naked chest from the early morning cold and shuffled into the far corner of the bed, pressing up against her back and draping an arm over her stomach, holding her against him protectively, as if afraid that something should happen whilst he was unconscious in sleep, and she would not live to wake with him tomorrow…

"You seem tired." Whispered a muffled voice, hushed in the cold or the morning air. Neo drew in a breath of surprise, propping his head up a little to see over her. He heard her laugh beside him, stifling it in the limp pillow they shared. Sighing to himself with both amusement and relief, he lowered his head once more.

"I didn't mean to wake you up." He mumbled apologetically.

"You wouldn't have, if you…" She trailed away, once again finding herself too proud to finish her sentence. Instead, she freed a hand from the entanglement of the blankets and lightly ran her fingertips along the arm thrown across her waist, tracing a pattern between his silvery arm plugs. He smiled into her back, cheeks reddening slightly as his leg searched for hers beneath the blankets and found it, causing her to gasp at the shock of the sudden touch.

"I'm sorry. I just……I like being close to you."

She grinned at the lameness of his statement, and then found that she was slightly baffled with herself when she remembered the great deal of change that had taken place within her over the past two months. Two months ago, she would have clobbered him over the head for touching her in the way he did now, let alone for the statement he'd just made. Finding that she was now feeling a little uncomfortable, she decided to change the subject back to his exhaustion. He had been returning to bed this way for the past two days, and in truth, she was worried about him. She was worried that taking every night shift upon himself would be too much for him…she was worried he wouldn't be able to cope. As much as she hated to think that she was concerned for him, she found she could no longer deny it, and would have to talk with him about his health.

"Listen, Neo." She began, perhaps speaking with more force than before…almost as she would address anyone else who was below her in status. "Don't feel like you have to continue to work these nightshifts all the time."

He swallowed, puzzled that she should be so concerned by the fact that he was often exhausted. He guessed she knew from previous experience that a regular nightshift should not tire someone out as much as he was now, and was wondering why it was this way for him. He felt a sudden sense of inequality between them…as if she was looking down on him, and believing that he was incapable of the work she found simple. It angered him to know that this was obviously false, since his current lack of energy came from exhausting his mind each night with Raven. Only he could not blame her, as he was yet to tell her what he'd been doing in the core each night, thinking that it would be best to keep the information a secret from everyone for the time being, in case they should be banned from it. Already he could see just how important it was for him to learn all that Raven had to offer, if he would ever be able to interoperate the Matrix properly.

"If you want," She continued. "I could talk to Morpheus about it…he'd understand."

Neo struggled to keep his anger at bay, irritated and enraged that she would not consider him her equal, and believe that he was capable of work she had been able to handle in the past. No longer seeing reason in keeping things from her, he decided he would tell her the truth purely as a matter of his own pride.

"It's not the shifts, Trin, it's what I'm _doing _during the shifts that counts." He explained, half expecting her to want to turn to face him, although she made no effort to move. "Raven and I have…well, we kind of made a deal. I promised I would try and teach him how to read the code if he would teach me how to lip read in exchange. We've been practicing together in the core ever since I volunteered for the nightshifts."

"I didn't know Raven could lip-read." Trinity thought bemusedly to herself, after pausing to consider all that Neo had told her. Part of her was ashamed that she had thought him weak, while another part of her was too consumed with trying to understand why someone like Raven would want to learn to lip-read unless forced to.

"I think he knows a lot more than he's letting on." Neo said, speaking more to himself than to her. Over the past two days, he had come to see that Raven certainly was more intelligent than he first appeared.

"How did he learn? Who taught him?" Trinity questioned, beginning to stroke his arm once more.

"He taught himself, apparently. He just started to take note of the lip formations of others. Don't ask why…the reason is far too boring and complicated to explain. What matters is that he can do it, and it's a skill that we can use."

"He's smarter than he looks, isn't he?" She pondered aloud to herself. "What really amuses me is that he's actually really intelligent and he doesn't even know that he is himself."

"Then why didn't he do very well in school?" Neo reasoned.

"Because intelligence can't be measured in diagrams and tests, Neo. No…it's so much more than that. It's all very well to say that you know things, but what good is that to anyone if you don't understand them? They only teach you to know in school, which is why those that have a greater understanding of life, and who may be intelligent people, tend to fail most of their school subjects. True intelligence is not what you know, but what you understand."

"Then you must be the most intelligent person alive." Neo said with a faint smile, purposely thinking aloud.

"What do you mean?" She asked confusedly, finding herself too tired to lift her head from the pillow and turn to face him, much to his annoyance.

"Well…I've…I've never met anyone who could understand so much. You always have the most interesting things to say about topics, and that's what makes it so great to have a discussion with you…to be able to know you. You're always so profound…" He took in a great gulp of air, inhaling her unique scent and closing his eyes softly, pressing himself closer to her. "…and goddamn you're beautiful too."

She snorted with laughter as he brought his head up to the hollow between her neck and shoulder where he kissed her softly. She lifted the hand that was not stroking his resting arm and reached behind her, grouping at his short tuffs of hair. Relaxing to her touch, he kissed her once more before dropping back onto the pillows, and rolling to lie on his back, staring absentmindedly up into the ceiling. Moments later, he felt Trinity move towards him, shifting so that she was almost completely on top of him, where she began to sweep his hair back from his forehead soothingly with a single hand, keeping her face tight and firm, as it was when she prepared to jack into the Matrix. Neo smiled, eyes dancing with love and admiration before he could no longer keep his eyelids open, and drifted into a peaceful slumber.

Trinity reacted the moment she knew he'd fallen asleep, moving off him carefully, lest she wake him. She gathered a fresh set of clothes and pulled them on over her underwear and under-shirt, stuffing her feet into her boots and buckling them in record time. She did not look back on him until she had opened the door to their room, when she turned to smile upon his sleeping form briefly before she moved to let the door snap shut behind her.

(o)

"Today, we'll be sending Raven into the dojo for his first sparring session." Morpheus informed Tank, Trinity and Raven once they had all assembled in the core. "I think he's learnt enough combat training to give it a try."

Trinity nodded, trying and failing to appear interested. _Same stranded procedure…they'll fight, he'll lose, and the next day they'll try again, and keep trying until Raven can land a punch in Morpheus's face…that could be an eternity away…more time spent on the ship that could be spent in Zion…with Neo…Neo was able to beat Morpheus the first day he tried…_

She had only been out of bed for a few hours, and already she found that Neo was the one thing on her mind, whether she was taking a shower, eating breakfast with Tank and Raven in the Mess Hall, or standing as she was now in front of the consol, assisting Tank in loading both Morpheus and Raven into the construct. Her thoughts were strange and disjointed…fragments of almost forgotten memories that came about long ago. Stupid things, like her meeting with Neo in the club…talking with him…touching him…watching him sleep when he was still plugged into the Matrix…things that sent shivers running down her spine, igniting her on fire. She knew that there was no hope for her concentration, nor for her endurance on anything that didn't directly relate to the man she knew was sleeping soundly just below her, eyes closed gently in slumber…hair sprawled out over the pillow…almost completely buried beneath the blankets in an infertile attempt to shield himself from the cold…

"So," Tank stated cheerily, his tone carefree and unsacred once both Morpheus and Raven were loaded into the construct. "What do you plan to do when we get back to Zion?"

Trinity merely shrugged in reply, although she knew exactly what she planned to do. And this time she would not be afraid…this time it would be better…it would be what Neo deserved…payment for all he did for her, each day they were together…something she could never admit or express with words alone…

"You're pretty spacey this morning." Tank chuckled to himself, waving a hand flamboyantly in front of his companion's face. "What are you thinking about, anyway?"

She shook herself back into reality, turning away from him and staring intently at the ground below her, arms folded tightly across her chest. "Nothing."

"You had to be thinking about something." Tank retorted rudely. "I've known you a long time, Trinity. I know that you have something on your mind whenever you get that real weird look in your eyes."

"What look?" She asked menacingly, meeting his gaze with eyes that were ablaze with aggravation and fury, masking deeper feelings of sudden embarrassment. She was glad that Tank could not read her thoughts.

"That distant look, when you're eyes go all hazy. You know…" He tightened the muscles around his dark eyes, causing them to bulge and become the most expressive feature of his face in imitation of herself. Trinity frowned, but managed to remain silent, ridding herself of the anger that bubbled beneath her skin by clenching her hands into fists.

Tank beamed, opening his mouth as if to continue the conversation when they were interrupted by the sound of a voice crackling and blaring from over the communicator attached as part of the consol.

"This is Captain Niobe of the Logos. Morpheus, do you copy?"

"Morpheus isn't here, Niobe." Tank replied instantly, seizing the communicator in hand. Trinity felt the muscles in her shoulders loosen as she was claimed by a sense of relief. Something had arisen that was sure to take her mind off Neo. "He's taken one of our newbies into the dojo. Give me the message and I'll pass it onto him when he jacks out."

"Tell Morpheus that he and his crew have been ordered to return immediately to Zion." Niobe answered, her voice prompt and punctual as it was known to be in formal situations. "Under the orders of Commander Locke, and the Council."

"What?" Tank cried in astonishment. "Why?"

"Locke didn't say anymore than that." Niobe said. "That's the only message I received. Just as I was leaving Zion, Commander Locke came to me and made me swear to pass on the message to you. He said it's a matter of dire importance, and you need to return as soon as possible."

"How far away is it to Zion from our current location?" Tank said after a pause, glancing upwards to Trinity as often as possible. Although she managed to keep her expression solemn and bland, she was inwardly swelling with as much bewilderment and perplexity as could be shown in the eyes of the young operator.

"About half a days travel." Niobe answered. "I suggest that you leave at once."

"But…what about our newbie?" Tank asked, turning in his chair to face Trinity completely, although he clearly was addressing Niobe instead. "Raven's hasn't even been unplugged a full week and you expect us to return to Zion? Isn't it the Council's law that we ensure he has completed the proper training first?"

"Yes, but in this situation that law is to be ignored." Niobe sighed heavily, and Trinity braced herself for what was sure to follow. She knew how much Niobe detested any breakage of rules, and only spoke or acted in the manner she did now if she planned to do something she wasn't meant to. "Look, I can give you another three days. We can pretend that I haven't run into you yet, and it will give you time to train up that newbie of yours if you really think it's that essential. But that's all I'm offering, understand?"

"Thanks, Niobe." Tank grinned cheerfully. "I'll be sure to tell Morpheus everything."

"Right." Niobe replied. "I'll be seeing you soon."

The communicator stilled, and the main deck was instantly immersed in silence, painfully oppressive after the cackling of background static electricity. Trinity blinked at her companion dumbly, as if she'd only just awoken from a dream, and the conversation had been no more than a fragment or her imagination. Tank, however, had already returned to his keyboard, and was typing frantically in preparation for bringing Morpheus and Raven back into the real world.

"I'm pretty sure Morpheus will want to take the extra three days before we return to Zion." Tank muttered. "Unless he thinks that what's going to happen is so important that he needs to abandon Raven completely and take him to Zion so inexperienced that he doesn't know what a sentinel is. It's gonna be hard…cramming two weeks worth of training into three days, but it's better than just having to pack up and leave."

If the situation had been any different, Trinity would have instantly put him in his place, and resumed her control over him as his superior while on the ship. Though it was obvious that whoever gave the orders at this stage was irrelevant, and instead nodded in agreement, keeping herself silent.

"Phone Morpheus, and tell him what's happened." She instructed. Tank nodded promptly, immediately typing the appropriate keys of Morpheus's number on the keyboard, as she continued. "I'm going to wake Neo, and tell him what's happened."

She knew it was illogical to have to wake Neo, as there was no reason to consult him, though Tank did not seem to notice that her decision to wake Neo was impractical, having already immersed himself with this set task. Whether they spent a week or three days aboard the ship meant nothing to him, as by taking the nightshifts, he had become uninvolved with Raven's official training. But even so, it was her excuse to see him again.

_If I just talk to him for a while, then maybe it will get him off my mind, and I'll be able to concentrate on what's going on._

She had not even thought to wonder why the Council may be summoning them back to Zion. Her rational mind, once again, seemed to have evaporated into thin air, as did any sense of her dignity when she opened the door to Neo's room. He lay just as she'd imagined him to – curled in a corner of the bed, the scratchy, shabby blankets pulled up to his chin, his breathing steady and thick, his sleep untroubled by the dim light of the ship's automatic lighting system. The mere sight of him igniting her on fire, so that she could feel a flame burning in the pit of her stomach.

She drew closer to the bed, forgetting to close the door behind her, and began to take notice of small things about him she'd never thought to consider before. The length of his dark eyelashes…his colorless, pastel white skin…the way his hair would rumple as he tossed and turned in sleep…the solemn way his lips would purse as he slept, only parting slightly to allow heated breath to escape them.

She found herself sitting on the edge of the bed, gazing down at him and remembering how she'd once watched him sleep when she'd brought him food after he'd been training for the first time. She had felt a deep and unexplainable connection with him then…sensing a quality only he seemed to possess…feeling the power he had not yet discovered within him for the first time. This was the way she felt now. She could feel the fire burning inside him…the fire she had felt when she first realized she'd fallen in love with him.

Slowly, she began to kiss him awake, her lips pressing softly against his temple, and then traveling down towards his mouth. His lips were warm from his steady breathing, and she felt more than heard him gasp as he woke, realizing what she was doing. Keeping her eyes closed, she gently pushed him so that he was lying on his back properly, and held herself above him with the use of both her arms, placing a leg on either side of his waist, not once breaking their kiss.

Neo barely moved, feeling himself freeze beneath her with shock. He had not expected to wake and feel the warming sensation of her lips pressed against his, and did not understand what would drive her to such a state. She was kissing him harder now…almost heatedly, exposing a side of her that only he had ever seen before. Although he couldn't deny that he enjoyed it, he still found himself searching for an explanation as to why she was here in the first place.

Trinity felt him pushing her away and somehow managing to control herself, worried that perhaps she'd done something wrong. She allowed him to pry her away from him and opened her eyes, still holding herself above him, to look down into his, wide with astounded confusion. There was a smile quivering in the corners of his now wet lips, that told her she had been wrong to assume that he had disliked what she'd been doing.

"Trinity," He managed to stammer, his tone as puzzled and vivid as his appearance bedraggled. There was a strange, bright glint shimmering in his chestnut eyes that she had rarely seen before. "What-"

"Sssh." She cut him off, hushing him by lifting one arm and placing two fingers over his lips. He blinked up at her in silent understanding, seeing no need to question her any further. Like her, he knew that this may be the only time they'd have alone for what could seem like an eternity.

Removing her fingers and using her arm to help to stabilize herself above him, she began to kiss him again, with more strength and passion then she had before, sucking his lower lip up into her mouth. He moaned, relaxing to the sensations that overcame him, freeing his arms from the blankets that were still tucked around him to bring his hand to her cheek, finding and toying with a wisp of hair that had escaped the rest and fallen over her face. She sighed heavily as she broke away from him, then proceeded to kiss along his jawbone while he brought his hands down to her lower back, sliding them under the hem of her shirt and gently massaging the skin beneath. It continued to amaze him that someone so strong and domineering could feel so soft.

While he still contemplated this, his hands instinctively fell lower to her waist. Her hips had been moving above his subconsciously in a circular motion, to ease the burning between her legs as she kissed him. Without so much as a thought for what he was doing, he gripped the hem of her pants and was about to slide them down her waist when she pulled away from him, stopping his hands by snatching them in her own. He gazed up at her in confusion, unsure of what he'd done wrong.

"M-My boots." She murmured, having suddenly remembered she was still wearing them. He nodded, silently relieved she had not stopped him for anything to do with his actions. He remained motionless as she scrambled off him to the edge of the bed, and bent to undo the buckles that strapped her boots to her feet.

He sat up behind her, pulling away the blankets and pushing them to the base of the bed. It seemed as if they wouldn't be necessary to them any longer. He was still sitting when she turned back to face him, her boots now lying idol on the floor beside his own. For a moment, she barely moved, her rational mind coming back to haunt her when she met eyes with his own. But the burning desire yearning within her body proved stronger, and she cupped a hand under his chin, locking him into an intense kiss as she pushed him back onto the bed, moving back into her old position and continuing from where they'd left before.

It wasn't long before he began to tug at the hem of her shirts, easing it gently upwards and exposing the pale, flat stomach that lay beneath it. She whimpered as his hands began to trace a pattern across her stomach, still pulling both her shirts with him. Eventually she pulled away with him, lowering her hips until she sat atop him properly. He groaned the instant she touched him, eyes widening as she grasped hold of her shirts and pulled both over her head at the same time, tossing them to the floor on top of his.

He couldn't help but to gawk, taking in each feature of her body…the devilish smirk adorning her swollen lips when she saw his reaction…the mischievous glint that shone in her lust-filled, cerulean blue eyes from behind a curtain of bedraggled ebony hair…the contrast between the purest black of her bra, and the chalk white of her exposed shoulders and stomach, and the very tops of her breasts. Each defining feature of her body never seized to memorize him.

Trinity smiled, loving the effect she had on him. Even now she found it hard to believe that she were the cause for the hazy glaze in his eyes…his swollen lips…his arousal, which she now felt beneath her…all because of her, and because he loved her. She traced a pattern between the muscles on his chest with one index finger, glancing up into his eyes momentarily before she used both arms to steady herself above him, bringing her face back to his, planting a soft row of kisses along the outer edge of his left ear. Her tongue flicked out when she reached his earlobe, drawing the sensitive skin into her mouth. She felt more than heard him hum deeply in the back of his throat.

She moved back to his lips, which parted instinctively in anticipation, their tongues clashing together in a passionate frenzy. Already, she could feel his hands moving along her back to her bra strap, fumbling for the clasp that held it together. For once, this did not worry her…nothing seemed to matter anymore, other than being with him. Or at least until she heard the seemingly distant sound of a male sharply clearing his throat, so gruff and demanding that it could not be ignored. Reluctantly, she pulled away from their kiss, feeling his hands freeze on her bra strap. Below her, she noticed that he was gazing at the door disbelievingly, and turned to see what had caught his attention, immediately wishing that she hadn't.

"Ok, I may have seen this stuff on the internet before, but in reality…it just ain't the same." Raven said from the open doorframe, young eyes wide and accepting, taking in everything she saw.

_Damnit, I should have thought to close the door…though he probably would have just opened it anyway. The little pervert could have been standing there the whole time and I wouldn't have even noticed._ Trinity thought bitterly to herself, her cheeks burning red with both anger and embarrassment – angry with both Raven for his interruption, and herself for allowing her to fall victim to desire, and lose all sense of logical thinking. Although she was partly glad that Raven had brought her crashing back into reality. They were on a ship, where they could easily be overheard or seen by anyone at anytime, and the situation could have been worse if they had been stumbled upon some hours later. Glancing down at Neo briefly, she could tell from the expression on his face that he thought and felt the same.

"So I guess you guys are seeing each other, then. You know, you could have told me sooner, Neo." Raven beamed brightly, his teeth pearl white against his dark toned skin.

"Get out of here, Raven." Trinity snarled.

"Ok, ok." He eased, holding out his hands in protest, yet still maintaining the same childish grin. "Morpheus and Tank sent me here to find you both and tell you to meet them in the core. Tank said Trinity had gone to find Neo sometime ago, and hadn't come back. But I guess you're busy, so I'll just have to tell them-"

"You won't be telling them anything." Trinity spat with distaste. "Now get back to the others and tell them we'll be in the core as soon as we can. That's all you're going to say, understand?"

"Yeah, yeah. But I don't think it will matter if I do or not, 'cos I think they'll be able to tell what you two have been up to. Neo's lips look pretty swollen." Raven joked, ignoring the death treats Trinity was shooting him from across the room.

"Didn't I tell you to piss off?" She ordered harshly.

"Not yet, but I get the message." Raven grinned.

"Then why are you still here?"

"Ok! I'm going, I'm going!" He sighed melodramatically. "Gee, you're scary when you're angry, who know that?"

"Weren't you leaving?" She questioned sardonically, forcing Neo to bite down on the insides of his cheeks to stop himself from laughing.

He etched away slowly, disappearing from the view of the doorframe, only to shuffle back a moment later, a menacing smile imprinted upon his lips.

"By the way, Trinity, you've got one hell of a body." He winked. Trinity felt as if her entire face were on fire, and wished that Neo had not thought to place the blankets out of her reach, so at least she could have something to hide the exposure of her almost completely naked upper body.

"Get out of here, Raven." Neo ordered, jerking his head in the direction of the corridor that led to the ascending ladder.

Finally taking his cue to leave, Raven darted back down the corridor, his feet pounding on the steel floor as he went.

"How long do you think he was standing there?" She muttered darkly, clambering over him to allow him to sit up on the bed beside her.

"Knowing Raven, I'm guessing that he would have stood there for as long as he could before even thinking about interrupting." Neo smiled, watching amusedly as she bent to lift her over-shirt and under-shirt from the floor, retrieving his as well and handing them to him. He had never known her to address their relationship without blushing violently before, as it was for himself.

"So what's so important that we need to be in the core immediately?" He grinned playfully, basking in his new fond confidence. Not a thread of embarrassment…not a tinge of red in his cheeks. It was making it easier to talk with her – not that it had been a difficult task before.

"Niobe sent out a call to the ship." Trinity replied promptly, keeping her focus intently on her boots and ignoring the playful tone in his voice. "We've been ordered to return to Zion as soon as possible. We have three days before we need to set out."

"What?" Neo blinked at her in astounded confusion. He had not expected such a sudden change of plan." W-Why?"

Trinity paused, realizing that she had forgotten to even consider why they may have been ordered to return to Zion, being far to preoccupied with something…else. Once again, he had rendered her speechless, but not for the reasons he had done so in the past. She found she had no answer to respond with to his question.

"I suppose Morpheus must have some idea, and that's why he's ordered us to meet him in the core." She shrugged, swinging both legs over the side of the bed and stuffing her feet into her boots, Neo following her lead.

"You know," He mumbled, running an index finger across the outline of his lips. They were still wet, and swollen from her kisses. "Raven's right about-"

He stoped abruptly as she brought her fingers to his lips, tracing the pattern of his own. Trinity knew that he was right, though for not only his sake, but also her own, decided to make light of the situation.

"I'm sure no one will notice or care." She comforted. "And if they do, just tell them you just ate a rather large walnut."

Neo gazed at her in puzzlement, then erupted in a fit of laughter as a once clouded memory came flooding back into his mind…a conversation that had occurred between them when they had been repairing the cockpit together, and had somehow found themselves discussing what had been their greatest fears.

"I was never really afraid of anything." Trinity had admitted to him during their break, as they sat facing one another on the frozen, metal floor of the cockpit. "Up until around about my seventh birthday, my greatest concern was losing my baby teeth, and having to sit through swim tests at school."

"What happened after your seventh birthday?" He asked her timidly, hoping not to destroy the relationship between them by asking her a personal question.

"A lot of things. Mainly, I began to see the world in a different context." He couldn't have known it then, but she had been cryptically speaking of her older sister's suicide. "What about you? What were you afraid of?"

"Well, as a kid, I can remember being terrified of the dark. That lasted up until I was about six. And I never liked our family dog much either, mostly because it didn't like me…and then there's hospitals, which I've always hated and always will, just like I hate any kind of pain or illness. Other than that, it was mainly walnuts."

"Walnuts?" She asked him through a laugh, quirking an eyebrow in question.

"I was allergic to them." He explained. "Any kind of nut really, but walnuts especially. One walnut and I'd come down with a fever, and my lips would inflame dramatically before the fever rendered me unconscious. Next thing I'd know, I'd find myself lying in a hospital bed. The inflation in my lips wouldn't go down for weeks, and my family and peers would make it a living hell for me."

He had not noticed that his thoughts had carried him down the corridor to the ladder that ascended to the main deck.

(o)

"We're really going to have to work hard over these next three nights if we're going to make anymore progress." Neo informed his young companion later that night during his shift at the core. "You heard what Morpheus said today in the core. Since it most likely has something to do with the recording sent to Zion with Roland, then we'll have to be leaving in only two or so days from now. Which means you're going to have a lot of stress, having to keep up with all your training by day as well as this."

"Hey, I can handle it!" Raven protested crudely, jamming his hands into the pockets of his drawstring, ruff cotton pants. "I'm a whole lot tougher than you may think."

"I know." Neo smiled. "But even the strongest of people have trouble holding up when they have to work by both day and night with only a little hours worth of sleep in between."

"I hardly ever slept when I was in the Matrix anyway." He shrugged meekly.

"Yeah, I know." Neo smirked, swivelling around in his chair to face his companion. "I used to watch you."

"God, now that ain't a nice thought." Raven replied firmly, shaking his head in protest. "Stalker."

"It isn't any different to the way you were watching Trinity and I this morning." He muttered bitterly, barely loud enough for Raven to overhear, then immediately wished he'd kept his thoughts to himself.

"Yes it is. What sane fifteen year old would walk away from a scene like that?" He asked rhetorically, leaning his weight against the side of Neo's chair. "Especially when your girlfriend has such as great body."

Neo fell silent, rendered speechless by his words. Although he may have disliked Raven, and the carefree manner he used when speaking about Trinity's body (something that was held sacred to him, and he believed didn't deserve to be addressed in such a way, if not at all), he found himself contemplating some of Raven's words. No one had ever used the term 'girlfriend' to describe Trinity before throughout the course of her entire life. It sounded strange to hear…unnatural, and unsuiting for her character…and yet he had to admit that in a way, it was true.

_I suppose in a way, she is my girlfriend._ He pondered to himself. _What else would I call her if I were introducing her to someone? My lover? No…she's more than that…but she's more than just a girlfriend as well…_

"Keep your eyes to yourself from now on, pervert." He demanded, attempting to sound fierce and stern, though there was a small smile upturning the corners of his lips.

"Hey, I'm a healthy teenage guy, I can't help myself." He chuckled. "Maybe we should discuss something serious for a while."

"Yeah, that would make a nice change." He joked sardonically.

"You're lip reading's good." Raven continued. "Real good. You were right when you said you're a much faster learner than I am. You know all the techniques and lip formations now, so it's just a matter of putting it all into practice to perfect it."

"Thanks." He beamed. "You're a pretty fast learner too, especially for your age. But you still need a lot of practice, though no doubt you'll get all the practice you need in the academy."

"The academy!?" Raven gaped at him. "No one told me I was gonna have to go back to school."

"It's not like any other school you've been to before, Raven." Neo said pointedly. "I've never been there myself, but I can guarantee you that it will be the kind of school you've always wanted. They teach you what's important, and what matters, like the history of our war, and the current political and financial state of the public of Zion. The sort of things you've always wanted to learn in school."

"You better be sure about that, 'cos I don't think I could survive in a world where I need to go to school if there isn't any music."

"Oh, there is music in Zion." Neo commented. "Just…not the kind you're used to."

"For your sake, that better be true." He scowled. "Anyway, I think I'm gonna get a little shuteye. See you around Neo, man."

He gripped hold of Neo's shoulder briefly before turning and swagging away from him clumsily. Neo watched him go, a faint smile spread across his lips before an idea sprung to mind.

"Raven." He called, causing the boy to turn. "I…I would appreciate it if…if you didn't tell the others about anything that happened this morning."

"Too late." Raven grinned in the way a child would when they knew they'd done something wrong. "I already have."

"What?" Neo exclaimed, rising from his chair with annoyance. The level of frustration Raven had put him through since his arrival on the ship was immeasurable.

"I can't help it. Not only am I a perverted internet hacker, but I'm also a blabbermouth. Haven't I told you before that I have a problem with keeping secrets?"

Neo said nothing, stewing in his own irritation and rage.

"Don't worry. Three days and I'll be out of your way for good." He winked. "Talk to you soon."

Neo spun around in his chair once more, resting his head in his right hand and propping his elbow up on the edge of the keyboard, watching the Matrix code swirl past him unenthusiastically. He began to wonder, with bitter distaste for Raven, what Morpheus and Tank thought…what Trinity would think if she knew, and how she'd withstand Tank's constant taunting and snide comments.

Luckily, both Tank and Morpheus seemed to have miraculously forgotten anything Raven had told them, and the topic was never spoken of again.

(o)

A/N: I hope the romantic moments in this chapter made up for the lack of romance in the last. I'll try to balance out the separate genres more in my later chapters. Thanks to those that pointed this out to me!

There will definitely be a sex scene in the next chapter, which will hopefully have improved from my last now that both Neo and Trinity are feeling more confident with each other, and my writing has – optimistically – improved. Also in the next few chapters, there will be more on the story of Lorena, and an what I hope will be an interesting twist with the character of Vivianna.

Thanks for reading, please review!


	29. Like thin air

A/N: The title of this story doesn't make ANY sense, but I thought it sounded cute so I used it anyway. Sorry it has been taking me a while to update, what with Christmas and all that. I have pretty much planned out the entire coarse of this story from beginning to end, and I have a couple of what I hope will be interesting twists to the end of the story that will alter the characters of Neo and Trinity forever, although not so much that they will be entirely different when Reloaded takes over. At least that's what I'm aiming for so you all know where I'm taking this story. However, as always, I am still open to any requests anyone has. Thank you to everyone who reviewed last time!

Brooke: Lol, I'm so pleased you like my writing enough to want me to continue into Reloaded. As much as I am loving writing this, I honestly don't think I will write it into that time. The thing is, as you must understand, writing into that time would mean that there would not be much chance for originality because I would have to interoperate the work of the Wachowski brothers and my own together, like I did at the start of this story. The only problem with doing that again is that with Reloaded, there wouldn't be much of a chance for me to include my own, original scenes, which is what I love doing. So, unfortunately, this story will not go any further than where I plan to end it.

Chapter dedicated to Monique, because I know she'll hate me for dedicating a sex scene to her.

29

"This is the Nebuchadnezzar on approach, requesting immediate access to Gate 3." Tank murmured into the communicator, while guiding the ship across the vast debris of what had once been the sewers of a great human city that had stood above it. Neo sat stiffly in the copilot's chair beside his companion, admiring the way Tank's grey gloved hands maneuvered the ship's controls with expert ease.

"Nebuchadnezzar, this is Zion control." Replied a young, high-pitched feminine voice. "Maintain present velocity and stand by."

"Roger that, control." Tank replied almost carelessly, jerking the ship sharply around a bend that led offside. Neo watched on in perplexity, gripping the armrests of his seat with a childish excitement. The last time the ship had docked in Zion, he had been sleeping, meaning that this would be the first time he would have a chance to see how it was done.

"How many gates are there in Zion?" Neo had to ask.

Tank shrugged, focusing intently on the apparent dead ended sewerage drain that lay ahead of him. "About eight or so. Gate 3 is the one most used, because it's positioned in the most central location, though there are gates all around the entire city. All exactly identical to this one."

Before Neo could continue to question him, the woman's voice suddenly sounded over the communicator. "Nebuchadnezzar, you are cleared through Gate 3 to Base 10."

"Understood." Tank finished, switching off the communicator and placing it aside. Just as he did so, the wall in front of them parted automatically, the steel of the gates screeching metallically as it was torn apart, to reveal a bright, artificial light that lay beyond. Neo watched on in amazement, leaning forward in his seat and peering at the sight before him unblinkingly, marveling at the genius of whomever had created it. To any passing sentinel, the gate would have appeared as nothing more than a blocked sewerage pipe.

Furrowing his brows in concentration, Tank maneuvered the ship through the opening of the gate, listening to the sounds of it closing behind them. Neo gaped as he once again looked out upon the circular dome of iron and steel, with metallic paths suspended a good hundred feet above the actual ground that winded between large docks just wide enough to house a single hovercraft each. From his position, hovering high above the docks, Neo could see the outline of hundreds upon hundreds of people, bustling between the docks hurriedly, anxious and determined to reach their destination. Pale faced teenagers pushed carts and trolleys loaded with different assortments of weapons, tools and military equipment, swerving between the clusters of people to load it onto the other resting ships, waiting patiently to be recharged or repaired.

The ship was moving at a much slower pace then before, and eventually sunk downwards once Tank and guided it to the correct dock. Neo's hands whitened as he gripped the armrests of his chair even tighter as the ship came to land, gasping at the strange, and yet familiar, ringing sensation in his ears. Finally, it touched down and the engines whirred before Tank aloud them to die.

"And that's how it's done." He said with an exhausted sigh, sitting back in his chair and cracking his knuckles in front of him.

"Whoa." Was all Neo could manage to say as he unbuckled the belt fastened tightly around his midsection and stood up from his chair. Tank grinned, leading the way out of the cockpit and down the ladder to the main deck where Morpheus, Trinity and Raven were already waiting for them, bags slung loosely over their shoulders.

The wall they were standing beside backed down automatically as it had done the last time, transforming into a ramp that led to the floor of the dock where three soldiers were waiting for them, dressed in uniformed cotton clothes, their faces pallid and stony.

"Just a short recharging and general maintenance this time." Morpheus informed what appeared to be the leading solider, who nodded stoutly in reply, allowing the captain to push past him and make his way down one of the numerous pathways that led towards an elevator, with the rest of his crew only a short way behind him.

"Oh my…" Neo heard Raven trail away beside him and shot the boy a glance, wondering when he saw the gawking, open-mouthed expression he wore, if he had looked as idiotic when he had been brought to Zion for the first time. Even now, Neo found, he struggled not to be amazed by the unique structure and ordered procedure of the city.

"So this is where I'm gonna live from now on?" Raven murmured, walking clumsily due to the fact that he was still taking in his surroundings. He waited until Neo nodded, eyes widening in awe. "Holy shit! You were right…I think I'm gonna like it here _much_ more than I liked it on that ship."

_I think I'll prefer it when you're not on the same ship as I am as well. _Neo thought bitterly to himself, but pushed his feelings of anger and resentment aside, basking in the pure joy of spending yet another glorious few days in the freedom of Zion.

"Neo, you're going to come straight with me to see the Council." Morpheus ordered as they walked, not bothering to turn behind him to make sure the others understood. "Tank, you're going to take everyone's bags and return them to their rooms before you can use the time as you wish. That leaves Trinity with the task of being Raven's guide while he settles into the academy."

Trinity scowled, but did not let slip that she disliked the task, knowing full well that soon she would be rid of Raven for good, and would be able to have the privacy with Neo she'd desired for so long.

They reached the end of the path and stepped into the already crowded elevator, standing in silence as it trundled downwards into the heart of the city. Tank was the first to leave, bidding them all a cheery farewell before exiting with the large pile of bags thrown over his shoulders and tucked under his arms. Neo knew that he was soon to follow suit, and moved to the back of the elevator beside Trinity, who was carrying Raven's bags. He took her hand in his own and squeezed it gently, startling her.

"I guess I'll meet you back at the room once all this is over?" He whispered to her quietly, and she nodded her head in reply. The elevator slowed, and he gave her hand a final squeeze before pushing his way back to the front and stepping out into the streets of Zion after his captain.

Up until then, he had hardly been thinking of the Council's summons. The past three days had been too hectic – with the progression of Raven's training, and the numerous nightshifts he'd taken on upon himself – to spare any moment to think of anything else other than the work at hand. Now, as he made his way after his captain between large clusters of people clad in robes of flimsy velvet, satin and silk or tight fitting, revealing clothes, it struck him that the summons of the Council could be more important than he had first thought. Perhaps they had seen the recording sent with Captain Roland some weeks ago and believed it to be false (the recording being the thing that Morpheus had assumed this to be about)? Or what if they did believe it? What would they plan to do to him then? More tests? Would they send him out to the machine city in the hopes that he would miraculously find a sudden burst of inner power and strength that would help him to conquer the war in ways he did not yet understand? But if they didn't…what could that mean for him? And, for that matter, for the rest of his crew?

His thoughts had unexpectantly carried him to the precise location of the Council's chambers. He remembered the last time he had stood outside those steel double doors, and the same nervous fluttering as before overcame his stomach. Only this time Trinity was not with him to hold his hand…to give him the comfort he needed now more than ever. This time, he would have to face the Council alone.

An unfamiliar person was waiting for them outside the door. He was a short, stout, but well built man with a short stubble of black, tight curled hair who dressed officially in the uniform cotton clothes. His face was leathery and worn, exhausted and wrinkled with the stress of impending piles of unfinished work, though his dull cow eyes glinted with fury whenever they met with Morpheus's.

"Captain Morpheus." The man greeted coolly, annunciating on the title of 'captain'. There was something almost like a childish sulkiness entwined with each word.

"Commander Locke." Morpheus replied in a bland, emotionless tone. Any who did not know him well enough would have thought that Morpheus regarded the man before him without referring to any specific emotion at all, though beneath the stillness of his darkest brown eyes, Neo could see a flicker of dislike luring within his captain.

"Control sent word that you and your crew were due to arrive soon, so I immediately went to inform the Council. Of course they wish to see you immediately, and asked me to send a man to find you, though I knew that you of all people would have enough sense to know to come here straight away. Obviously I have been right."

"This is Neo, by the way, one of my newest." Morpheus answered, choosing to ignore the last statement made.

"Oh yes, I know all about you." Locke muttered sullenly, now glaring darkly at Neo instead. "The Council told me every word." He turned away again, directing the next statement to Morpheus. "Though what I can't understand is why you didn't come to me, your commanding officer, about the matter first."

Neo couldn't help but notice the deeper feelings of dislike evident within each person whenever they addressed one another. He could almost sense some sort of jealousy…a rivalry between them of some kind…something deeper than just pure hatred. He made a mental note to later ask Trinity about this, though soon these thoughts were forgotten from him.

"Because I simply decided that this was a matter that should be taken straight to the top. I thought it would have nothing to do with you." Morpheus smirked at the look of pure disgust written across the commander's face. Locke was obviously struggling very hard not to burst out in a fit of rage, and luckily managed to keep his emotions contained, deliberately turning his back and wrenching open the doors of the Councilor's chambers.

The large, circular, slanted room had not changed from when Neo had last seen it. The rows of aligned, empty and highly uncomfortable looking benches were cut into three sections, and divided by two staircases running directly down to the lower bay of the room and beginning at the sets of identical double doors, one of which they had just entered through.

The Council were already sitting along the long table draped in white cloth that was positioned at the front of the room, facing the empty seats, dressed elegantly in long, identical robes of blue velvet. They were silent, watching with pale, insipid faces as the three arrivals moved to stand behind opposite tables in the lower bay – Morpheus with Neo at one, and Locke at the other.

The Head Councillor looked at Neo directly, her dull teal eyes pouring into his own. "You are Neo, recently unplugged solider serving Captain Morpheus on board the ship, the Nebuchadnezzar, who claims also to be the One?"

"Err…didn't you ask me this before?" He questioned confusedly, before remembering what was the correct manner to use when addressing the Council when he saw the look in the Head Councillor's eye. "Um…yes. I am."

Already he was feeling the sweat break out in his palms and on his forehead…the colour leaving his face…the oncoming nausea that always accompanied him whenever he was faced with public speaking. He longed to sit down in the uninviting chair behind him, or to be offered a glass of water. But instead of dwelling on his he set his face firm, reminding himself that this session with the Council was bound to be much shorter than the last.

"And you admit that this disk I hold in my hand now is one that was sent from your crew to us through the assistance of one Captain Roland of the ship, the Hammer?" Continued another councillor, having not noticed the pale shade of green in Neo's face.

"Um…yeah." Neo stuttered. "Yeah, that's the one."

"You are Captain Morpheus, long-time commander and server on board the ship, the Nebuchadnezzar?" The Head Councillor asked, finally turning her attentions from Neo and causing him to exhale a sigh of relief, glad to be ridden of his unwanted attention.

"Yes, Councillor." Morpheus replied solemnly, with deepest respect in his words, causing Neo to feel even less comfortable with his address.

"And you can second Neo's opinion that this disk does in fact, belong to your crew?" She continued.

"Yes I can. That disk contains the footage of what we hope to be significant evidence to prove that Neo is the One."

"We have already seen the footage on the disk, Morpheus, and we have discussed it. In the end, we have decided to believe you." Councilor Harmann smiled kindly, giving Neo an inner boost of confidence. At least, he knew, that Harmann would be on his side. The conversation they had shared after the last time he had stood before the Council had convinced him that at least he had one ally in the Council…someone with status above the rest of Zion whom he could rely to when all else seemed to fail. He was glad that Harmann was here.

"The Council has met before to discuss the matter, and we have decided that this proves that Neo is the One once and for all." Another told him, one Neo recognized from before. He was a dark, unfriendly man, with large, fuzzy black hair. "Now all we need to do is sort out what is needed to be done next."

"If I may, Councilors, I would like to make a…suggestion." Locke spoke suddenly from his place offside at the other table, catching everyone off guard.

"You may, Commander." Said the Head Councilor. Neo noticed that they did not ask Locke to confirm his identity before speaking.

"I believe it would be easier on all of us if we continued to keep this all a conspiracy." Locke continued, his darkening eyes falling upon Neo's and causing him to shudder. "After all, we do not wish to raise false hopes within the general public of Zion."

"We no longer believe that raising false hopes in the people will be a problem." Harmann frowned, something that appeared almost unnatural on him. "However, you do raise an interesting point. Should the public now be alerted to the fact that Neo is the One, or should we wait a while longer before we decide?"

"I believe that this is a matter for Neo to decide himself." The Head Councilor said. "Neo, what do you propose we do?"

Neo found himself frozen to the spot, overwhelmed by the sudden authority that had been placed in his hands. Last time he had stood before the Council, he was certain they would never have dreamed of trusting him with such an important decision, even if that decision would effect him. He supposed that his new status as the One had given him further opportunities and power…power which he did not know how to use. Of course he wanted the publicity, worshiping or scoffing of the Zionists to be delayed from him for as long as possible…but was this the right decision to be made on _their _behalf? It was then that he realized how difficult being a leader each day must be, and was thankful that he was not in Morpheus's position, though he knew that, inevitably, he would soon have to be making decisions of this kind more frequently. In the end, he decided to go with what he thought was best for himself, Zion and, most importantly, Trinity.

"I think we should do what Locke suggested…for now, anyway." He finally mumbled after a great deal of thought and deep concentration.

"Very well." The Head Councilor concluded. "Now, Neo, you must understand that we are putting a great deal of faith into your hands. When you walk outside that door and see all those thousands of people, you must remember that their fate, and the fate of this war and all mankind now rests in your hands alone. The Council, Commander Locke and your crew will always be here to assist you, though from now on, this is your battle alone. We are putting trust in you, and in this recording you have presented to us, which is undoubtedly the most amazing thing many of us have ever seen. Do not let us, or the rest of humanity down. Do you understand?"

Neo swallowed, nodding curtly in reply. He knew that the Head Councilor was right, and he also knew that all she said was true. Sooner or later, this would become his war, and his battle alone, as much as he would try to avoid it. The pressure they had just placed upon him was unbearable, leaving him feeling exhausted and alone. All he felt like doing was returning to his shared room with Trinity. Perhaps the faith of the Council was not as much of a desirable thing as it first did seem.

"All in this room are hereby sworn to secrecy. None must be told of Neo's being the One until time comes that we agree to letting the public know. Anyone else who knows of this must also be told and sworn to secrecy. Now that all matters have been attended to, this Council is now adjourned."

The Head Councillor banged a gabel on the desk twice and the entire Council stood in union and exited through a small door just behind and to the right of where they were sitting. Neo was not entirely certain, but he could have sworn he saw Harmann pass him a sly wink before he left after the others.

(o)

After sharing in a brief discussion of the Council's verdict outside the Council's chambers with Morpheus, Neo hurriedly approached the elevator, desperate to return to his room and Trinity. Though before he could even reach the elevator itself, a hand shot out behind him, grasping hold of his left shoulder and causing him to jump with a start. He whirled around, only to see Tank and his brother-in-law, Link, beaming at him from behind.

"Hey, where are you off to in such a hurry?" Tank grinned playfully.

"N-Nowhere." Neo murmured, still shaken from Tank's sudden approach. Tank eyed him warily, raising one thick, bushy brow in question. Obviously, Neo pondered, his response must have sounded too suspicious.

"Well…since you're heading in no apparent direction, why don't you come for a drink with Link and I?" He continued cheerily, eyes brightening once more. "Besides, don't you want to tell me about the Council?"

Neo hesitated, thinking of Trinity waiting alone for him in their room. He was sure Tank would understand if he told him he needed to be somewhere else. But would that sound too suspicious? Would he find himself too embarrassed to say he'd rather be with Trinity? Besides, Tank still needed to be told about the Council's verdict…and most likely Trinity had not yet finished with Raven. There would be time for them to be together later.

"Sure." Neo smiled. "I'll go."

(o)

"So…even though they believe you…they still want us to keep it quiet?" Tank said confusedly, scratching his chin as if to show that he was deep in thought.

"_I_ want you to keep quiet." Neo reminded him. "The Council asked me to decide whether I wanted to alert the public yet or not."

"So why don't you want everyone to know?"

"Why do you think?" Link interrupted irritably. "Publicity, of course. He doesn't want the whole of Zion on his back all the time, and frankly, I don't blame him. There's a whole lot of non believers out there who ain't gonna like him, while the rest of the city are gonna worship him. Think about it, Tank. Would you really want all that attention all the time?"

"I would." Tank replied after what appeared to be careful thought. "Especially from the ladies."

"You raise an interesting point." Link answered, taking a long swig from his mug. Neo contemplated, yet again for about the fourth time that evening, how alike both Tank and Link were in more ways than one. They were not biologically related, and yet the similarities between them were uncanny, although Link was obviously the slightly more serious one of the two.

"Speaking of ladies," Neo said as he rose to his feet. He was almost certain Trinity would have arrived back at their room long since, and the heavy taste of alcohol was beginning to take its toll on him. "I really think I should go now."

"A wise decision." Link beamed, raising his glass as Neo made his way to the door. "I guess we'll be seeing you around then, Neo."

"Yeah." Neo grinned in reply. He had almost reached the door when a thought occurred to him, and he whirled around once more. "Tank, make sure you tell Raven-"

"Don't worry." Tank laughed. "Morpheus probably went straight up to the academy to check that he was ok. I'm sure he'll remember to tell him."

Neo smiled, partly from relief and partly from gratefulness. He nodded once in the direction of the two men before he pushed his way out of the ever-growing crowd gathering in the entrance of the bar. By some miracle, he managed to remember the best route back to the room, arriving in a record time.

The first thing he noticed, as he wrenched open his door and stepped into the room, was the sound of running water coming from behind the closed door of the bathroom on the left side of the hallway. The flimsy, cream sheets of the bed cave had been made, though he could not remember doing this last time he was in the room. His bags still sat untouched beside the door, although Trinity had long since packed her own belongings into the opened closet opposite the bathroom, and there was a half-filled mug of water resting on the rickety table in the offside kitchenette.

He stepped into the room completely, allowing the door behind him to slam shut with a deafening bang. He winced at the unexpected sound, hearing the water slow to a drizzle before it was turned off entirely. He remained still, listening to the sound of someone moving about in the bathroom before Trinity stepped into the room, wearing nothing except a white towel wrapped tightly around her slender body.

He took a step backwards in surprise, gazing at her unblinkingly with reddening cheeks. He wished that he had thought it wise to stay outside the room until he could be certain that she had changed. There was something about the towel wrapped around her - just tight enough to reveal each feminie curve of her elegant, domineering figure - that gave him the impression that he should not be in the room. Trinity, however, seemed not to be worried about her lack of clothing. He supposed she had thought that it wouldn't matter since she'd worn a lot less in his presence before.

"Neo…" She trailed away, unconscious of the fact that she was dripping water on the dusty, dirt floor. Upon arriving back at the room, she had been so disappointed to not find him there that she had leapt out of the shower the instant she had heard the door bang shut in the hopes that it would be him. She did not know why she had wanted him to be in the room so much…probably, as she thought later, that after they'd made love in the room for the first time, it seemed so empty and silent without him. Somehow finding that she was not unnerved by her own severe lack of clothing, she ignored the stunned expression on his face and moved herself closer towards him.

"Neo, where were you?" She began again. "I've been here over an hour and I was wondering…" She stopped herself again, noticing the obvious change of expression on his face.

Neo blinked, feeling the colour flood from his cheeks. No longer did it matter to him that she was wearing next to nothing. The cool temperature of the room mingled with the scent of her body, reminding him of the last time, long ago it seemed, when they'd made love in the same room. He had captured the memory of that night so well, down to the very detail in her face, for he was afraid of losing it forever. The yearning and desire he had suffered from so long on the ship came flooding back to him at the mere sight of her. It was then that it occurred to him that this was _not _the ship. They were alone…alone in their own, private space where they had no chance of being interrupted.

"Neo?" She asked him quietly, struggling to depict the emotion in his eyes. "Neo? What is it?"

He took slow, careful steps towards her, eyes roaming over each feature of her body. The suppleness of her skin…the water that dripped onto her bare shoulders from her wet and mangled dark hair…the colour in her pale cheeks, and the brightness of her ice blue eyes…the feminine curves of her hips…the abundance of her breasts, hidden beneath the towel…the corners of her red lips…all so mesmerizing…driving him mad.

"Maybe it's just the alcohol talking," He heard himself whisper, standing so close now that he could see her chest heaving with her heavy breathing. "but…"

In one, swift movement, he enveloped his arm around her waist, astounded by the softness of her hips beneath the towel. He drew her as close to him as he could, hearing her gasp in sudden surprise, although she did not try and pull away. Before he knew it, he was kissing her, beginning intensely from the very start. His tongue slid straight past her lips as he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders, exploring the waters of her mouth.

Trinity closed her eyes to the sensations, finally understanding what he meant by the look he gave her earlier. For once, she did not feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment, nor was she anxious for any reason whatsoever. The burning desire to be with him had been slowing driving her to the point of insanity, and now that they finally had the time to be alone together, she did not allow any emotion other than ones necessary to get in her way. She moaned against his lips, grinding her hips against his own as her hands slid up beneath his shirt, massaging the firm muscles of his back. Neo began to step forwards, causing her to move backwards until they were directly beside the bed. Together, they fell back against the pillows, just as Trinity had wrestled his shirt over his head.

It wasn't long before his hands found their way to the knot holding the towel around her together and began to undo it, his fingers having to dig inside it in order to pull it apart. She began to wriggle beneath him when she felt his hands graze the tops of her breasts, eyes alighting in a burst of passion. Feeling her eyes on him, he lifted his head and took his hands away from her towel, fearing that the expression in her face meant that he had done something wrong.

"I-Is something wrong?" He stuttered, looking down on her with concern. The seriousness in his eyes and in his tone was enough to make her laugh at the stupidity of the comment. She lifted a hand and ran her fingers through his hair comfortingly.

"No," She whispered, surprised to find her voice already broken. She brought her hand back down along his cheek, finding his own and guiding it back to the towel. "No."

He couldn't stop himself from smiling as he began to undo the knot again with much more ease than before. The towel loosened, then fell aside, leaving her body bare and exposed below him completely. All he could do was stare down at her in awe as she pulled the towel out from beneath her and tossed it onto the floor. Each line of her body an example of the beauty and strength that could be found only in her…everything as it had been when he last saw her this way…everything perfection.

No longer intimidated by the way that he would stare at her naked body, she drew an arm around his neck, hoisting herself up towards him so that she could nibble on his left earlobe, sucking on the delicate skin and bringing it into her mouth. Now it was his turn to moan, a dense, humming sound in the back of his throat.

"You're mine." She heard herself whisper in a voice that was not her own. A voice laced with passion and desire. He laughed, partly because of her words and partly because of the way her breath would tickle his ear. She fell back onto the bed, pulling him with her, his naked skin pressing into her own.

Neo could never quite believe that anything could feel so soft. Her breasts felt so round, full and supple below him, the sensation of their skin pressed together purely indescribably exquisite. It made him want to kiss her again, only this time his lips worked their way from her jaw and down along the side of her neck, finding a sensitive vein and sucking on it, leaving a mark in his wake. He could feel her struggling not to betray her pride and cry out as he shifted slightly, kissing around the plugs on the tops of her breasts.

Trinity bit down sharply on the insides of her cheeks, though even that could not stop her from crying out his name when his lips moved across her, mouth worshiping the peak of her breast as his tongue flicked out against one nipple. He smiled when he heard her, loving the effect he had on her perhaps even more than she adored having it on him. She had the ability to break through him so easily…to send him into pure oblivion. He could never do to her what she did to him, as much as he wished he could give her what she deserved, which was why he loved it whenever he could break through her tough exterior.

As his lips lowered, planting a row of kisses down her smooth, flat stomach to her navel, she became conscious of her legs, which were wriggling and squirming…tangling with his own in an infertile attempt to calm her racing heart. She was overcome with a flurry of sensations and emotions, feeling his lips move slowly down past her navel and along until they reached her right thigh. All at once she felt the colour flood from her face, and her nerves took hold of the lustful passion burning inside her, driving it away and replacing it with sudden fear and uncertainty. She knew what he planned to do.

Neo wasn't sure what had driven him to do what he did just now…some inner instinct or emotion having overpowered him now left him feeling confused, as much as he desired to do what his body had set out for. Glancing up into her eyes, he saw that they were wide with hesitation…fear for the unknown. It had left her face white and pasty, almost sickly. He did not want to do anything without her consent, though he found he could barely speak, the heated scent of her body overwhelming him. Instead he waited, watchful eyes questioning her…watching the traces of anxiety evaporate when she locked her vision with his own. She saw that his eyes were not only filled with lust and yearning, but were alive with something deeper…more respectful. All at once, her body became at ease again. All she could do was nod, chocking back on her own words of agreement.

He linked hands with her own, entwining their fingers together and holding her securely. Then she was lost, awash and overwhelmed with indescribable sensations as he made love to her with his tongue, fingers and lips. She tightened her hold on his hands when he reached a sensitive part of her body, squeezing them tightly as her breaths came out in gasps. The feeling spread throughout her entire body, his own teasing her relentlessly. Even after she met with Neo…even after they fell in love, she had never imagined him to do this. He was always so meek and naïve, though now this could not be determined. She was the one who now felt weak…at the mercy of what he was and wasn't willing to give her. It was enough to cause tears to brim in the corners of her eyes as her head thrashed from side to side on the pillow. Her body lurched as it reached its climax, and she heard herself scream uncontrollably, her hands squeezing his own so tightly that it began to hurt.

He broke away from her when he heard her cry out and the tightening grip of her hands. When he lifted his head to her face, he saw that there were tears swelling in the corners of her eyes, though they were wide and unrestrained, hazy with an overload of emotion. It was he who had done this to her…he who was the source of the love glistening in her eyes. Her hands were tugging on his own, instructing him to move back up to her mouth. He obeyed, sliding back up to the top of the bed and embracing her, holding her against him as he traced the path he had kissed her with one index finger, stopping at her inner thigh.

"Neo…" She whimpered, her voice husky and feeble. The feeling of reaching her peak had been beautifully indescribable, and all that she could ask for was that it happen again. "Please…"

He nodded, understanding her completely. He pulled himself away from her, wrestling off the pants he still wore and tossing them to the floor, straddling her hips with his own, entering her silently…swiftly, and without hesitation. Her back arched automatically as it had done the last time, only now it was virtually painless. All she felt was him inside of her, and all the emotion and feeling that came with it. He groaned, beginning to move while she trust her hips forward to meet with him, squirming below him as she felt herself reaching another climax. She cried out his name, wrapping her legs around his waist and sliding her arms over his shoulders. It was this that sent him over the edge of oblivion as he joined her. Slowly, he felt his energy leave him until he collapsed atop her, panting with exhaustion.

"Whoa." He whispered to himself, feeling her chest heave beneath him as she breathed. Like he was, her body was drenched in perspiration, and he couldn't help but feel that the room was now much warmer than it had been when he first came in.

(o)

A/N: My God, I have an incredibly warped mind. Sometimes I can't believe I actually write this stuff! Um…does it really happen like that? Is this sex scene believable or not? Has it improved from the last one? Please tell me what you think!!!!


	30. Suspicions

A/N: Sorry for such a long wait, but yet again I've been busy with other things, and haven't found the time to write. I hope this extra long chapter will make up for it.

First of all, a big thank you to everyone who has been reviewing. I don't think I can tell you in words how much your support means to me as a hopeful writer. It really makes me feel encouraged to write things professionally, if I could ever be taken seriously by a publishing company. Writing has been my passion ever since I was five or so, and I've always been afraid that no one would like my stories and stuff. I'm so glad that you people do – you're giving me confidence and motivation to write more! Again I must say thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Skipper: You know, I literally got your review just after I finished writing this chapter, and I already had put a shower scene into it! Heh, great minds think alike, I guess. Ok, maybe it isn't the full lemon you were asking for, but I'm not one to write two full sex scenes in a row, if you get what I mean. But I promise you that I WILL write a full, proper shower scene in a later chapter and when I do, I'll dedicate the chapter to you.

Videl86: Yeah, I guess Trinity was OOC at the beginning chapters. Thanks to your review, I'm actually thinking of going back and rewriting them now, and trying to make them a bit better. What do you think? Um…about the whole virgin thing? Well, if you think about it, Trinity was unplugged when she was fifteen. During her time in the Matrix, she was unpopular, and didn't allow anyone to get close to her intimately, as I have explained. Then, after she was unplugged she became the cold, icy Trinity we all know and love, and didn't let anyone get close to her there either. At least that's the way it goes in this story. If either of them shouldn't be a virgin when they met the other it's Neo…but for some reason he was in this story. Thank you for your review – I love getting constructive criticism.

Once more I must say thank you for all of your reviews, and I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter is dedicated to Stephanie.

30

Neo awoke in a blissful state of content, his dreams having been filled with images of what had taken place the previous night. He couldn't remember a time when he had felt so comfortable before…when the temperature of the room had been this perfect, nor when he had last felt a sense of purity and well-being so strongly within him. Outside he could hear the sounds of people chattering, laughing and joking with one another while their children played juvenile games together in the dirt, though inside the privacy of their room, everything remained still and quiet. It was a comforting silence, only broken by the soft sounds of Trinity's calm and peaceful breathing.

She lay on her side, her body pressed against him with an arm sprawled out across his stomach, and with her head resting on his chest, tangled wisps of dark hair tickling the surface of his skin. He shifted slightly amongst the pillows in order to better see her face. Despite the perfection of the climate around them, her cheeks were flushed, yet her eyes were closed softly, and there was a small smile playing in the corners of her lips.

He grinned, lifting his arm carefully so as not to wake her and wrapping it around her, bringing warmth to her body. Her smile broadened, though she did not wake, allowing her head to slide back a little, subconsciously nuzzling into his shoulder. He began to wonder what time it was – probably sometime in the late hours of the morning – before it occurred to him that the time of day didn't matter when they had no duties to fulfill. While in Zion, there was no rule to say that he couldn't remain in bed for as long as he liked, with Trinity tucked in under his arm, sleeping peacefully against him. It was as if they were on some sort of vacation from the war.

He smirked, resettling himself against the pillows as a distant memory came back to him. He didn't know what made him think of it, but somehow the image must have entangled with the images of his dreams when he was sleeping.

He was eleven years old, and his Matrix father was giving him sex education.

Normally his father, John, wasn't the sort of person who would ever think to speak of such things. He was an overweight, burly, middle-aged man who was already balding, and spoke with a thick Australian accent. He had taken lead from Neo's mother, and had decided that sex was a topic best not discussed with his children until their wedding day. By the time he was eleven years old, Neo had still never even heard the word mentioned before, and he wouldn't have for years to come if it weren't for the conversation he'd overheard that was shared between two of his classmates at school and had come home with questions. Outraged and embarrassed that her son (even the son she particularly disliked, and believed would amount to nothing in life because he was the middle child of the family) would even have known such words to be in existence, she had sent him to the bedroom he shared with his younger brother, and told him not to emerge until his father had returned home from work. Three hours later, John arrived home, changed, spoke briefly to Neo's mother and then came into his son's bedroom and sat himself down on the bed beside him.

Even now, he could still remember the stench of sweat issuing from the vest and shorts his father wore. He and John had never been particularly close, since it was always his father who was insulting him, and telling him that he was bound to have no future whatsoever. He remembered feeling confused, struggling to remember the last time he and his father had been alone together in this way (if not at all), and wondering why now of all times he should chose to do so. Even as a child, he could sense something indifferent in the way John had spoken to him, his tone dull and droning, without any emotion detectible within it at all. It was almost as if the entire event was a formality to him…a task he resented, but knew that it needed to be done. His lips barely moved as he spoke, his speech slurred, most words uttered as no more than a whisper. He recalled gazing down at his father's beefy, hairy legs, too afraid to meet with his eyes. There was something in the unusual, calm and unemotional tone he used that almost frightened him, for it was so unlike the father he thought he had known.

Thinking back, he guessed that it was a tone of not only embarrassment, and resentment for the child he spoke to, as he had suspected then, but also of fear. This surprised him, for throughout his entire childhood, he had never known any member of his family, other than himself or his younger brother, to be afraid. What his father may have feared was highly uncertain. Perhaps there was something about the whole ordeal of sex education that made his father believe that his children were growing older, which meant that he was aging as well. Or maybe it was simply because he was afraid that now Neo knew what sex was, he, John, would find himself the grandfather of some illegitimate child before his oldest son had reached the age of twenty-one. Neo guessed that it was the latter, for he remembered his father telling him that sex was a painful, messy and awful thing that could result in an endless amount of unwanted trouble, and therefore he should not consider it until he was middle-aged, balding and sexually unattractive. At the naïve and immature age of eleven, Neo had been inclined to believe him.

But of course now, he could inwardly prove that his father had been lying to him. Making love was not as his father had envisioned it. It was as he had always thought it to be, if he were with Trinity. Something so sacred…indescribable…beautiful to even put into words, let alone to imagine. A smug expression crept onto his face when he thought of the people he had once called his family, continuing to live their lives, having barbeques and raising the stereotypical image of perfect children and grandchildren. He thought mainly of his father and his elder brother, working through the daunting hours of their office jobs as he had once done. He thought also of his mother, gossiping and spying on the neighbors while she slaved away as a housewife. He thought of his younger brother, struggling to impress his family and live up to the reputation of his oldest brother while at school. Then he thought of himself, lying in the privacy of his own room in the last city of mankind…the warmth and security that surrounded them…the woman that lay sleeping beside him. Part of him wished the impossible, and that his family would somehow be able to walk into the room right then, and see him the way he was now, while another part wished that they would stay away from him forever, and that he would never need to see or think of them again…

He stopped himself. He did not want to think about them anymore, or at least not now. Not at such a memorable moment in his life. He didn't know what made him think of them in the first place, and found it strange that he should do so now after spending most of his adult life pretending (ironically) that they did not exsist.He knew it may be a while before he could lie there as he was now again. He may never even be able to if either he or Trinity were killed while serving on board the ship. He didn't want to think about that either…didn't want to remember the war, or being the One. For once he wished the burden to be lifted from his shoulders. Instead he turned his head and gazed down at the woman nestled in the warm embrace of his arm and smiled, admiring the innocent, peaceful way in which she slept…loving the way her naked body felt against his own.

Scarcely a few moments had passed before they were interrupted by a sharp tapping on the red steel front door. Neo groaned, secretly begging that whoever it was would leave instantly and not return for many hours to come. He didn't want to be with anyone else, other than the one person who was with him, and pretended that nothing had interrupted the peaceful tranquility of what was both around him and within him. But the tapping on the door became louder and more insistent, until he found he could ignore it no longer. Gently easing his arm from around her, he searched amongst the bed sheets, finding the towel Trinity had wrapped around herself only the previous night. He paused, fingering the fabric between his thumb and forefinger. It felt soft, as her waist had been, and it had been drenched with the scent of her body. Smiling, he wrapped the towel around his waist and made his way to the door.

He didn't think he'd ever recover from the shock of seeing Vivianna standing in the outside corridor when he tugged open the steel door that morning at only a small fraction, so that he could leave the most of his almost naked body concealed. For a while, he was afraid that she had come to bring him to Zion's hospital for more testing, before he realized that she wore a white, midriff shirt and powder-pink sarong instead of her usual white nurse's robe, informing him that she was most certainly off duty. She grinned at him in a mocking, childish manner, her brown eyes prominent against the dark eyelashes that framed them.

"You." He uttered in a tone that could almost be called bewilderment.

"Um…yeah." She raised a fine, dark brow. "Me."

"W-What…" He trailed away, smiling and softly shaking his head. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I heard that Morpheus and his crew were in town, so I thought I'd stop by to check and see if you'd managed to get yourself killed." She paused, looking him once over before bringing her vision back to his. "Err…is this a bad time?"

"Um…no. No, it's fine." He lied. She eyed him up and down once and gave him a look that proved she wasn't convinced. "Yes, actually. It is."

"Oh. I see." She replied confusedly, using a hand to push long waves of rich, dark hair away from her startlingly white forehead. She then stared down at the floor suddenly as if in attempt to hide the reddening in her cheeks. "I was kind of hoping that maybe…you know…you and I could do something together."

"Maybe some other time." He said as politely as he could. "Anyway, shouldn't you be working today?"

"I've had the day off." She shrugged.

"Oh…well…I guess I'll see you later." He beamed.

"Yeah. Bye, Neo." She waved goodbye to him cheerily and joined the movement of the few people who were passing by his door.

Neo shut the door quickly, pondering to himself as he made his way back into bed. Why Vivianna should be wanting to spend her time with him of all people, he did not know. He supposed that she was simply trying to be friendly. He would have dwelled on it longer, if he hadn't been too preoccupied with Trinity, and the way she looked upon awakening.

She stirred, muttering something inaudible to herself as she rolled off her side and onto her back, so that he was able to see her face. Her smile was broader than ever, the pink tinge still evident in her cheeks, though the silken sheets that had been tucked around her before had slipped, revealing most of her breasts. He found himself unintentionally remembering how soft her body felt when he pressed it against his own. The voice she spoke in was groggy, her speech slurred in together until the words were virtually undetectable, and the original context of the word became unknown.

"Neo…" She mumbled, blinking up at him blearily as her hazy vision came into focus. She smiled as her eyes met with his own, and shuffled closer towards the edge of the bed, closing her eyes once more. Her head felt as if it weighed such a great amount that her body would be incapable to lift it from the pillow, and she found herself unable to remember a time when she had been so exhausted. In a sense, it made her feel weak, as if her heavy head was an insult to her pride…but also content, as if she'd reached a state of tranquility she'd never thought she would be capable of. It was enough to make her want to fall back into sleep.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" He asked as she shifted so that he could slide into the bed next to her.

"No, it was the door." She yawned, subconsciously moving herself closer to him and burrowing her head into his chest.

"Go back to sleep." He grinned, pushing rogue strands of hair out of her face. She nodded, not needing to be told twice and was soon sleeping in his arms once more.

(o)

Trinity did not wake again until much later, with pleasant memories of the night before drifting through her thoughts. She smiled, feeling the weight of Neo's body pressed against her, and opened bleary eyes to stare up into his without shifting her head. He had been sitting upright in the bed with his head propped up against the pillows, dark eyes lost within his thoughts as he held an arm around her tightly and let her rest her head against his chest.

"You look distant." She commented, struggling to stop herself from laughing when he let out a gasp of shock when he heard the sound of her voice. Though when he brought his gaze down to meet her own, the startled expression on his face was replaced with a small smile.

"I don't mean to." He eventually replied.

"What were you thinking about?" She couldn't stop herself from asking. Both she and Neo couldn't help but notice that she seemed to become slightly more open and less proud when she was with him after each time they'd made love.

"Stupid things." He said truthfully. "Mainly about…my family."

"Your Matrix family?" She asked confusedly.

He nodded. "I don't know why, but earlier in the morning before you woke up, the weirdest memory just popped into my head. Ever since then the same thing has kept happening. As much as I've been trying not to, I just keep thinking about them."

She pushed away the weight of his arm and shuffled up in the bed so that she was sitting upright beside him at his eye level.

"It's normal, I guess." She replied, inwardly slightly disappointed. As much as she wished to deny such things even to herself, part of her had secretly been hoping that he would say that he'd been thinking about her. "You've only been unplugged a few months, after all. The memories must keep reoccurring inside your mind because you're still coming into acceptance of this world, and you need to realize that they're false. I told you once that memories are able to help you when you're experiencing sudden change."

"Makes sense." He smiled, leaning forward to kiss her gently. He didn't think that he ever had (or ever would) meet anyone as intelligent as her. "But I still think it's strange that I should think about them of all people. After I had left school and saved up enough money, I moved as far away from them all as I could and didn't have anything to do with them ever again. Between then and now, I haven't really ever thought or talked about them before."

"It'll pass." She reassured him, suddenly becoming aware of what the time must be. "Do you think we should get up?"

Neo violently shook his head. "There's no reason why we should. We can stay in bed all day if we want, right?"

"I guess." She smirked. Sometimes his naivety even surprised her. "I don't think I've ever done that before."

"There's a first time for everything." He grinned at her sheepishly, a youthful glimmer shining in his eyes.

Before he knew it, she was kissing him again, pulling his bottom lip into her mouth with a caress of her tongue. He nearly laughed when her hands began to trace a pattern along his chest, tickling his skin. He brought his hands up to her chest, massaging her breasts as she fell back onto the bed, bringing him down with her. It was in that moment of pure bliss that he realized that her skin was even softer than the silken sheets that surrounded them…

(o)

_This is what we need. _Neo thought to himself gleefully as he stood under the shower the following day, running what he hoped was some form of shampoo through his hair. _Time…not as it is on the ship, without privacy, the burden of war on our shoulders and the pressure of me being the One. Here we have the kind of time we need…together, without interruption or duty or anything. Time where I can wake up late and then spend the entire day talking to her, or making love to her, or just being with her. Thank God for the last city of mankind._

His thoughts were broken as the electric lighting of the room flickered, hummed, and then switched itself off. Neo let escape a small cry of surprise, instinctively reaching behind him to turn off the shower taps. He stepped out of the shower and groped uncertainly for a towel as his eyes began to adjust to the darkness.

"Shit." He heard Trinity curse from the outer room as she played with the light switch. "Zion's electrical system must be shot again. Goddamn, can't this city go one week without having problem's with the lighting?"

Neo laughed, finding a towel and wrapping it around his waist just as Trinity entered the room, holding a candle aloft and smiling as she handed him his clothes.

"How long should it last?" He asked her as he pulled them on.

"It varies, usually." She replied, handing him the candle. "Here. I'll light the others."

The room had only just been relit when there was an intrusive knock at the door. Neo finished dressing and then stood in the bathroom doorway, watching was Trinity answered to a man he didn't recognize in the lack of light. It was then that he noticed that the corridor beyond them wasn't lit either.

"It's really fucked up this time." He overheard the other man say. "Everything is down. Every light in every home. Someone's going to restart the backup system but that'll only hold out four hours tops. We're going to need to get the main system running as soon as possible, which means we'll need your help."

"Right." Trinity replied with a nod of her heard. "I'll be down in the engineering level as soon as I can."

"Who was that?" Neo asked once the man had gone, stepping into the outer room.

"His name's Bane. He serves Captain Ballard…I forget what their ship is called." She explained impatiently as she changed from her Zion attire – an off mauve, 'v-neck' midriff shirt and a buff skirt that ended midway down her thighs – to the more practical clothing she wore on board the ship. "He asked me to help him and some others who are trying to repair the electrical system. Apparently it's doing worse than it ever has before, which must mean it's pretty poor."

"So you're leaving?" He asked warily as he watched her change. This was the one thing he hadn't wanted to happen…for either of them to be worried by duty. It seemed that no matter where they were, there would never be any escape from it.

"I have to." She reasoned, pulling on her over-shirt without bothering about a bra or under-shirt. "Only for a few hours."

Neo gazed around at the candlelit atmosphere, thinking of how odd it was that he hadn't known her mere months before and now couldn't bear to find himself parted from her, even if it was only for a few hours. He saw Zion not only as the last city of mankind, but also as their one sanctuary…the one place where they could truly be alone. He did not want any of their time to go to waste. Looking back into Trinity's eyes, he could instantly tell that she felt the same way.

"Why don't I go with you?" He said the moment the idea came to mind.

"You hardly know anything about Zion's electrical system." She replied with a laugh.

"I'll learn. You can help me." He argued.

"Bane asked me because he knew that I had experience. It's a complex job, Neo, and it'll be faster this way." She drew closer to him, and he enveloped an arm around her waist, shocked by the roughness of the material of her clothes after becoming familiar with her Zion wear. She sighed, hating to leave him, but also knowing it had to be done. Even if the war was over the following morning, they would still have to worry about duty, as much as they may need to have time alone.

"The backup system." She murmured, pushing herself away from his firm arms. "I better go."

(o)

Usually, the corridor outside their room was littered with clusters of bustling people, pushing past her hurriedly to reach their destination and chattering avidly with their companions. Though now it was mostly empty, as many of the population had retreated to their rooms, or those that belonged to relatives or friends. None of the remaining people took notice of Trinity as she squeezed her way past them, sliding into an already crowded elevator and descending towards the lower levels of the city. As she stepped out into the main corridor of a lower floor, a hand shot out from behind her and gripped her shoulder firmly. She froze, drawing in a breath of surprise, and allowed the person behind her to whirl her around to face them.

"Hello." Said a sly, sinister voice. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you so soon. Don't you think it was funny that we were riding down in the same elevator and neither of us noticed until now?"

"Hmm…strange coincidence." She muttered sarcastically in reply. "What do you want this time, Dwayne?"

Dwayne smirked cynically in the same manner that Cypher had once used, running sausage-like fingers through a mass of greasy, tawny brown hair. "Now that's a pretty stupid question, isn't it, Trinity? You already know what I want. I've told you so many times that I think I've lost count."

"You're right. That was a stupid question." She agreed sullenly.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" He asked her, reaching out to her with large hands which she quickly pushed away.

"The engineering level." She replied in her most business-like manner. "To fix the electrical system."

"Sounds interesting." Trinity wasn't sure if Dwayne was being sarcastic or not. "So where's Lover Boy? I haven't seen him around in a while."

"Neo's at home." She replied as coolly as she could, although she was bubbling with irritation below the surface of her skin. She made certain to enunciate on the word 'Neo'.

"Yeah." He said almost dreamily, before his smug mouth broke into a cynical grin. "So what's the deal with you to? Has the bitch finally given in?"

"What the hell do you mean by that?" She retorted angrily.

"You guys been fucking each other yet or what?" He said as simply as he could.

Trinity opened her mouth to speak, but found that her speech had caught up in her throat with pure irritation and hatred. There was something about the way Dwayne would speak to her…something about his tone of voice that could provoke her to rage more easily than anyone else ever could. Reading the expression imprinted onto her face, Dwayne realized instantly that he had definitely taken things too far.

"Okay, okay. Sorry, shouldn't have said that." He eased. "Why don't you and I go somewhere together later to pass the time, hmm? Have a little heart-to-heart chat…what do you say?"

"I wouldn't want to even if you were the last human specimen left on this planet. Sentinels make better company than you do." She scowled and marched away in the opposite direction.

"Well, if you Lover Boy don't work out make sure that you give me a call!" He shouted after her, waving to her as she was consumed by an oncoming swarm of people. Trinity simply decided to ignore him.

(o)

Neo sat alone in the Food Hall in Zion, sipping on a mug of water and surveying the surrounding people without much interest. Most were families who had been eating together before the electricity system broke, and had resumed doing so after a brief moment of panic.

_It must've been four hours by now. Maybe I should go back and wait for her. _He thought willfully to himself, though in truth he didn't know how much time had passed since he had arrived there. Having hated the silence in the room after she left, he had gone in search of a place that he hoped would be populated, and thus would not be left alone with this thoughts until Trinity returned.

"Hey." Said a cheery voice beside him, interrupting his train of thought. He turned and found himself staring into the eyes of Vivianna.

"Hello." He replied dully, hands clenching around his mug subconsciously.

"You look lonely." She said after a pause. "Mind if I sit down with you?"

"Oh yeah, sure." He answered politely, allowing her to slide onto the bench opposite him.

"That was some blackout we had before." She attempted to make conversation. "I can't remember it ever being this bad."

"This is only the temporary system. The real one is still out of operation. If they don't fix it soon, then there'll be another one."

"Damn." She sighed. "It's always something here, isn't it? At least we can look on the bright side and be glad that it's not a sentinel attack."

There was a moments silence before a thought suddenly occurred to him, and he decided to risk embarrassment by asking her a question.

"Vivianna, when you were first unplugged, did you have…flashbacks? You know, memories that came back to you that were triggered for no apparent reason?"

To his surprise, Vivianna did not scoff, but sat back in deep thought, pondering her answer before she replied. "Yeah, sometimes. I can remember my first days in the academy. The funniest things used to happen that would make me suddenly remember my Matrix mother. Then I'd start to cry because I missed her. One of the teachers there tried to comfort me by telling me that she really wasn't my mother anyway, but that only made me cry more, because I really loved her."

"Well, I never really loved my family, so the flashbacks don't hurt me or anything in the way they hurt you. They just get on my nerves." He smiled. "At least I know I'm not the only one."

She grinned in reply, and he couldn't help but notice that she blushed a little before she continued. "I suppose it happens to everyone."

"It does. At least that's what Trinity told me. But she never told me that it ever happened to her."

"Do you ever miss your Matrix family?" She asked at random, abruptly changing the subject.

He firmly shook his head. "Never. I hated them. I wanted to put as much distance between myself and them as I could. Now we're whole worlds apart, and I can't help thinking about them all. All I can hope for is that it will pass."

"Do you ever miss _anything_ about the Matrix?"

"Sometimes." He admitted. "When I think about the life I used to lead without responsibility, and how great it was to have that freedom. You know, the freedom to be free from duty, if that makes any sense. But then…then I look at what I have here, and I can see that…that this is a greater freedom. Here I have real feelings and memories and experiences. I didn't have any of that there." He paused as a grin spread across his face. "I certainly don't miss the hospital checkups in the Matrix, that's for sure."

"Why do you hate hospitals so much, anyway?" Vivianna asked her companion, drumming her fingernails on the table in front of her.

"A mixture of different things." Neo shrugged. "It's more of a sense of fear than hatred. I don't like illness or injury, which is what a hospital symbolizes for me. I hate being sick or injured myself because not only does it involve a painful recovery, but also it means I need to spend a great deal of time resting it off, which leaves me feeling lazy and useless. I hate that feeling. More than that, I hate injury or illness of another human being, because it just brings a sick feeling to my stomach. There's no way I could take on the job you're doing now."

"Alright, first of all, hospitals aren't a symbol of pain or suffering. They're meant to symbolize healing and recovering, and the salvation of mankind. Secondly, you _can _do my job if you would want to, as long as you remember that their sickness or injury would never be healed if it weren't for you. Finally, you need to remember when you're left bedridden for one reason or another that you are not lazy or useless. Every human being gets sick at least one time in their life, and it won't be long until you're back on your feet again."

"That may be true, but even so, I still can't help thinking in the way I do now. It's more of a psychological problem, really. One that I probably will never overcome." He grinned, suddenly looking up at her from across the table. "Um...do you know how long it's been since the backup electrical system kicked in?"

"I'm not sure exactly, but then again, no one really is sure of the exact time these days." Vivianna grinned in reply, her dark eyes sparkling in the artificial light. "But I can guess that it's been about three hours."

"I should go." Neo replied hurriedly. "I need to meet someone in an hour."

"Can't you stay?" She almost pleaded. "At least until I leave to take up a shift in a few hours time."

"I thought you had the day off."

"I did, but that doesn't mean I don't have the night off. I've just been taking a lot of nightshifts recently." She shrugged meekly, thick coils of long, dark hair slipping away from her shoulders. "I prefer having my days free, and my nights busy."

"When do you get the time to sleep, though?"

"I don't. I haven't been able to sleep much lately." She smirked. "It's more of a physiological problem."

"Sorry to hear that." He smiled in reply. "Look, I can't stay because like I told you, I'm meeting someone. Nice talking to you, though."

Vivianna opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a sharp, male voice echoing from across the room.

"Lover Boy!" Dwayne exclaimed, barging past empty tables as gracelessly as ever. Neo felt his cheeks redden with humiliation as Vivianna cast him a sidelong look.

"Lover Boy?"

Neo shrugged, whispering his reply. "Don't ask me. I barely know him."

As he neared their table, Dwayne slowed his pace, blinking at the pair before him in confusion. He said nothing until he reached the oblong metal table and seated himself beside Vivianna, the usual smug expression reclaiming his features.

"You've picked yourself up something nice here haven't you?" He chuckled. "I never knew you were such a ladies' man." He waited, as if expecting a reply. When none came, he continued in a light-hearted tone. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Dwayne, Vivianna. Vivianna, Dwayne." He nodded to each person in turn, barely looking up from the table due to embarrassment.

"Well aren't you a nice little piece of work?" He smirked cynically, narrowing the gap between himself and the disgruntled woman beside him. "Where you from, gorgeous? I get the feeling I've seen you around before."

"I'm working as an apprentice at the hospital." Vivianna replied coolly, edging away from him as carefully as she could.

"Oh really? How interesting. You know, I don't think I've been to the hospital for a proper check-up in ages. When do you think you can fit me into your…busy schedule?" He brought himself closer towards her, reaching out a hand as if to bring it around her shoulders. Vivianna pulled away instantly, getting up from the table with an essence of grace and dignity. It struck Neo that this was very different to the childish, vibrant personality she displayed when alone in his presence.

"You came at a pretty bad time. Neo and I were just about to leave, weren't we, Neo?" She murmured, focusing on Neo directly with a hopeful gaze.

"Yeah. That's right." He replied, finding he had to muster all his self-control to stop himself from laughing at the expression on her face.

Dwayne turned towards Neo as if registering his presence for the first time since he'd arrived, then regarded him with a look of annoyance. "You certainly are a hit with the women here, aren't you? What's your secret?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He said truthfully, naively finding himself unable to consider the situation from Dwayne's perspective.

"Now, there's no need to get all angry at me just because we both happen to like the same type of women." Dwayne replied haughtily. Then he did something quite unexpected, lowering his voice and murmuring something darkly that was more directed to himself than to anyone else. "Cypher and I did, and we used to get along just fine……just fine."

Neo froze, realizing that this was the first time he could recall Dwayne actually speaking about Cypher's death. He thought of how close Dwayne and Cypher must have been…how they must have talked together of a richer, better life when he was still alive, and began to wonder if perhaps Cypher had told Dwayne of how he planned to betray the rest of his crew. Perhaps Dwayne already knew what Cypher wanted to do long before it happened, if Cypher had made plans to do so in advance, before Neo had even been unplugged. He wondered, also, how long it may have taken for Dwayne to realize that his dearest friend may never return to Zion, but be taken back into the life he had missed when he was still plugged into the Matrix. He thought of how shocked Dwayne then must have been when he learned that things had not gone according to plan for Cypher, bust also relieved, for now he knew that his closest friend would not return to the 'better life' that he had often spoken of and leave he, Dwayne, alone in a place of desolation. Maybe he had already thought of all this when he heard of Cypher's plans, and had realized in advance that either way, he was going to lose both a friend, and a brother.

"See you around, Dwayne." He stated, before turning once more and leading Vivianna out of the Food Hall and into the more crowded inner streets of Zion.

"What's with that guy?" Vivianna asked as she hurried to stand beside her companion. "I don't think I've ever met anyone so perverted."

"You haven't even seen him at his worst yet." Neo smiled, meeting eyes with her directly. "You should see the way he acts around Trinity."

There was a brief moment of silence, in which Neo found himself being led towards the hospital involuntarily. He was about to remind Vivianna that he needed to leave when she cut in first, speaking just as they arrived outside the hospital.

"Hey, what did that guy mean when he said 'we like the same type of women' to you?" She said, blushing slightly as another thought occurred to her. "Err…was he talking about me?"

"I think he was talking about Trinity."

"Trinity?" Vivianna replied with a laugh. "Why her?"

It was then that it occurred to Neo that although he had spent hours with Vivianna, he hadn't ever told her about his relationship with Trinity. Now, when faced with the task of doing so, he found that he was uncomfortable with it, as if he'd rather stay away from the topic completely. He sighed, realizing that there was no longer any way of avoiding the uncomfortable task of telling her about his relationship with Trinity. Somehow, he had the impression that Vivianna would be better off not knowing. Why, he wasn't entirely sure.

"Look, I haven't told you this before but…err…Trinity and I, well…we're sort of in a…a relationship."

Vivianna blinked back at him in a state of complete and utter confusion, mixed with a sense of disbelief. He wasn't sure why, but the expression on her face reminded him of Trinity's reaction to the knowledge that he was not the One when he had first told her what the Oracle had said to him. The colour seemed to be drawn from her startlingly white face, and her already prominent dark eyes appeared larger, and more reflective of her surroundings. Her lips began to twitch as if she were struggling to keep herself from speaking, and for a moment, Neo almost believed that he had detected a look of what could be called hurt within her.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled. He didn't know why he said it, but it seemed to fit in well with the conversation.

"Oh no, it's alright." She said with a false laugh, speaking in a sarcastic sense of cheerfulness. "You should have told me sooner, you know. I mean, there's no reason why you shouldn't."

"You're right. I should have told you sooner." He began to rub the back of his neck with his hand. "I don't know why I didn't."

"Don't worry about it now." She hit him playfully on the shoulder. "Well, I guess then you should…leave then. Um…I'm sure I'll see you around."

"Of course." He grinned. "I'll see you later, ok?"

"See you, Neo." She smiled, though part of him could have sworn that it was a smile of remorse.

(o)

Trinity sighed as she stepped out of the elevator that had carried her and several others away from the engineering level after work. She grimaced at the dirt that clung to her hands, attempting and failing to dust it off on her oil-stained pants. The four hours of work had left her with a rather painful headache, along with aching muscles and raw hands. At least, she thought, she could take pride in the fact that she'd helped to complete the task. Reminding herself of the warmth and comfort of the bed she shared with Neo that awaited her when she returned, she proceeded in the direction of another elevator.

Without warning, she felt the strength of a hot and clammy hand fall onto her shoulder, and turned sharply, only to be exasperated when she came face-to-face with Dwayne for the second time in one day.

"What's a beautiful woman like you doing hanging around alone in the streets of Zion?" He asked slyly, leaning the full weight of his enormous body against the doorframe. "Don't tell me you're waiting for that good-for-nothing lover of yours to show, 'cos I don't think he's gonna turn up for a while."

"What do you mean by that, Dwayne?" She frowned, feeling as if she would have liked nothing better than to slam her fist into his face. It was only pure curiosity and her lack of energy that stopped her from doing so.

"Just thought you should know," He lowered his voice to a whisper before he continued, which in his case was to the level of an ordinary human voice. "that I ran into him just now, cruising around the Food Hall on the lower floors of Zion. And he wasn't alone."

"What? Who was he with?"

"Some girl." Dwayne shrugged loosely as if it were of little importance to him. "She's kind of young, but she's cute. I wouldn't mind taking her to bed myself. I think her name was…Violet, or Vikki or something like that."

"Vivianna." She corrected him, her voice sounding dry and hoarse.

"Yeah, that's the one." Dwayne snapped his fingers triumphantly. "They were talking when I walked in on them about five minutes ago, and I left seconds after they left to come and see if I could find you. But I sat next to the girl, and somehow I got the feeling from her that she and Lover Boy have been doing more than just sitting around, if you get what I mean."

Involuntary images began to fill Trinity's mind as she recalled a conversation she and Neo had once shared when they had been watching Cas's children the last time they came to Zion.

"I think...I think Vivianna would make a good addition to our crew. She's smart, and determined, and she gets things done efficiently without complaining. In a way, she kind of reminds me of you, although no where near in comparison."

He did spend a lot of time with her on our first trip to Zion…but that was only because he had to because of those damn tests. But now he's spending time with her again, and this time it's because he wants to. And why would he want to have her on our ship so badly if he wasn't attracted to her? He said that ' in a way, she kind of reminds me of you, although no where near in comparison'…that could be taken in two different ways. There's so much evidence that points to……no, I shouldn't think that way. I need to trust him. I love him, and he loves me. There's no way that he would ever think to do something like that. No way in hell. Dwayne must be lying.

"No." She shook her head firmly, not once breaking the eye contact between them. "No. No, I don't believe you."

"Too bad." Dwayne sighed melodramatically. "You know what I always liked about you? The one thing you had that set you apart from any other woman I've fallen for in the past? It wasn't because you were feisty, or strong, or bitchy or even because you were beautiful. It was because you were smart. Like me, you knew that love wasn't ever a real emotion. Love was something that happened in fairytales, and certainly not in reality, right? People might think that they're in love, but it's never true, because love is only a figment of your imagination…like that Matrix thingy. Humans were made to believe that they were in love because it was a way to convince them to reproduce, and thus continue their race. There never was such a thing as love, because it has only ever been no more than a human instinct. If there was such a thing as real love, then it wouldn't get you into trouble all the time. I thought that you and I were the only two people on this planet that really ever understood that. Hell, even Cypher didn't seem to understand that there wasn't any such thing as real love, no matter how many times I tried to explain it to him. He was already head over heels in love with you. But then that pretty boy turned up, and everything went downhill for you. You let yourself not only become attracted to him, as I do with most women, but you allowed yourself to believe that you had actually fallen in love with him. And now look what's happened. Look what your so-called love has done to you. It sure didn't last long now, did it?"

"You're lying, Dwayne." She argued. "You're lying, and you know it."

"Am I?" He smirked. "Would you like to come and see Lover Boy for yourself? Who knows? You might end up changing your mind and see things the way I do. I think he and that girl of his were going to the hospital. That's where she said she worked. I've got the perfect place I can take you where we'll be able to see everything."

She felt her knees weaken beneath her as all sense of what remained of her physical strength left her body. She fought to stop herself from trembling as he led her into an elevator. They stood in silence until they'd reached one of the upper levels of the city, and he proceeded to cross the corridor and lean over the balcony at the end of it. Gripping the banister with shaky hands, she peered out into the lower streets of Zion.

The hospital was directly below them, its entrance surrounded by a large mass of bustling people. But even amongst all the surrounding commotion, she was able to spy Neo without the slightest amount of difficulty. His back was pressed up against a wall, a young woman standing in front of him, a long mass of dark hair tumbling down over her back. They were talking together…smiling together, without so much as a care in the world. She couldn't be sure from where she stood, but Trinity was almost certain that she saw a glint of admiration shining in his eyes.

She hardly knew what to think anymore. Perhaps all that Dwayne had said was true. Perhaps love was not an emotion or feeling, but no more than a hormonal instinct found in all humans alike that was a key element in giving them a reason to reproduce. But if that was true…then what did she and Neo have? What was to stop him from becoming attached to another woman if he was not bonded by love? A cringe of pain shot through her entire being when she imagined Vivianna lying beneath Neo as he made love to her instead of herself, running her fingers through his hair…whispering things in his ear…smirking to herself as he groaned when she ground her hips against his own. Strangely, it was not jealousy that she felt, but something much deeper…something more sinister.

Without a word, she turned on her heel and stalked away, blocking out the sounds of Dwayne's mechanical laughter as she barged through swarms of people and pushed her way into the nearby elevator. Her legs were weak and trembling, her body felt numb, as if it had been made of ice, and her head ached from the oncoming sensations of different emotions. She wanted to go back to sleep, perhaps to wake and see that it was all a dream. She kept glancing around her as if hoping that a sign should occur, or that something should happen to prove to her that Dwayne had been wrong. None came, and she found that the more she stood on her feet, the more she would be inclined to collapse on the elevator floor. She then began to wonder what she was doing in an elevator at all, when her room had only been a short distance away from where she was standing. She supposed that it had been because she did not want to be alone, with thoughts that she was afraid of. She did not want Neo to walk in and find her there either, possibly having broken down into a flood of tears, and she wanted to be as far away from Dwayne as possible. Everything seemed to be in a blur of confusion as she tried to think of where she could go. Only one place and person came to mind.

Before she knew it, she found herself standing outside a red steel front door, pounding on it impatiently with a set of white knuckles. It was opened almost immediately, by a bright-faced and also clearly startled Tank.

"Tank!" She breathed, partly relieved that it was not some other member of his family that had opened the door.

"Trinity?" He raised a thick, bushy black eyebrow in question, the brightened expression fading from his face when his eyes met with her own. "Is something wrong."

"Are you alone?" She asked him, lowering her voice to no more than a whisper.

"It's just me and the kids at the moment." Tank furrowed his brows in confusion, but stood back to allow her inside nevertheless. "Do you want to come in?"

She nodded, stepping past him into the front room of the house. Since they consisted of a much larger group, Tank and his family owned a much larger area than Trinity did. Unlike the room she shared with Neo, their area had been divided into separate rooms, so that the four bedrooms were well out of sight. The front room consisted of a large kitchenette, and an even larger living area. Effa and Sef, Cas's two children, peered up at her from their place on the floor as she entered, conveying to her an expression of confusion, similar to the one on their uncle's face.

"Kids, why don't you go and play in your room for a while, hmm?" Tank asked them quietly. "Your uncle and his friend need to have a talk."

Effa grinned and nodded, grasping her brother by the arm and heaving him to his feet. Trinity stood stiffly in the centre of the room, now regretting that she had come here in the first place, as the two children darted into one of the bedrooms, slamming the door shut behind them.

"Sit down." Tank gestured to the tattered couch that was wedged against the wall. "Do you want something to drink?"

Trinity shook her head, dropping into the chair and staring blankly at the wall opposite her. Tank joined her shortly, clasping a mug of water in his hands.

"I just needed someone…to talk to." She mumbled, finally gaining enough confidence and will to speak.

"Well…you know my door's always gonna be open to you. But I would have thought you'd want to talk with Neo."

"That's what I need to talk about." Trinity replied, avoiding his eyes by staring intently at her knees. "Neo."

Before she could stop herself, she began to recount the events that had just occurred, leaving out specific details which she mentally decided that he did not need to hear. She told him about Vivianna.. She told him about Dwayne, and all that he had told her. Once she had finished, and the sound of her voice and droned away, the room was still and quiet, the silence only interrupted by the sounds of the two children playing happily together from behind the closed door of their room. She did not look at Tank, for she was afraid to see the expression on his face, and that he may be able to see the tears that were brimming in the corners of her eyes. At least telling someone about what had happened had left her with a feeling of inner peace, and had helped to clear her head of all unnecessary thoughts and ideas, though it had brought the more prominent emotions to surface, so that they could barely be controlled.

"Sounds like you need a hug." Tank sighed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a friendly embrace. At first, she felt slightly uncomfortable being pressed up against him so tightly, before she relaxed and allowed her mind to be at ease. Eventually, he pulled away from her, placing his now empty mug of water aside before lounging back into the chair.

"This Dwayne guy…I've heard of him before. I think Dozer told me about him once. Wasn't he a friend of Cypher's?" Tank waited until Trinity had nodded before he continued. "Ok, why in the hell would you trust a friend of Cypher's over Neo?"

"It doesn't matter what sort of a person he is. The point is that everything he said has a chance of being true." She protested. "What if love is no more than a human instinct designed for the purpose of convincing humans to reproduce? If there's no such thing as real love, then everything the Oracle has said could be…"

"Ok, Trinity. Say for a minute that what Dwayne said was true. Say that there has never been such a thing as the kind of love you read about in books, and that it's all just a sham or an instinct that assists us, along with the sex instinct, to reproduce and thus continue the human race. So what? It doesn't actually matter what love is. If you feel that you are in love with Neo, then you are. Who cares what that really means? Sure, there's every chance that it might be everything that Dwayne has told you, but there's also every chance that it might not. And if it is, it doesn't matter. The important thing is the way love makes you feel. It's meant to make you feel good."

"But if there is no such thing as real love, and it's all an illusion created to make us feel inclined to have children, then there really isn't anything stopping people from falling in love with another person, and therefore being in love with two people at once. If it's all what Dwayne has told me, then love is kind of like a game. You can have as many players as you want, because love is only an instinct. Like the…" She paused to clear her throat. "Like the sex instinct."

"Trinity, this is Neo we're talking about. I'd have to say that even though I don't know Neo as well as you do, I do know him pretty well. Do you honestly think he's the sort of guy that would do this kind of thing?"

"If Dwayne's theories are right, then yes." She answered, though part of her doubted her own words.

Tank stretched out his arms, yawning once before settling back into his chair. "Remember when Switch was still alive, and the three of us would sit in the Mess Hall and talk for hours about nothing in particular?"

"Of course I do." Trinity smiled at the memory.

"There was love then. Not the kind of love between, say, Switch and Apoc, but a different kind of love. I don't know about you, but I could feel it, that's for sure. Then there's the kind of love that I have for my family, which is pretty darn strong too. And then there's the kind of love that I have for Zion, and for humanity and the earth in general. Last of all, there's the kind of love I've never experienced before, but you have. There are different kinds of love. In my opinion, that one word can mean heaps of different things. In Dwayne's opinion, it can only mean reproduction, and the continuation of humanity. But if that's right then what do you call the love I have for Zion, for my family and for my friends? Certainly not the instinct to reproduce. But if not love, then what is it? I think Dwayne is being narrow-minded. He isn't considering the fact that love can be mean more than one thing. And since I can prove that love can mean more than one thing, than I can say that sure, maybe love is an instinct to reproduce, but it can also be more than that. It can be an instinct, and an emotion, and a feeling as well. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

All Trinity could do was nod, feeling a great sense of relief wash over her. Tank was right in saying that love could most definitely mean more than just one thing. It might be an instinct, but it was also something much deeper, and much more profound. It could be something that a person could have for many different things, living and not living alike. Dwayne's theory had to be wrong. There was no way that love could be no more than he thought it was.

"I honestly don't believe that Neo could have anything to do with this Vivianna woman in the way that you think. It just doesn't sound like Neo to me. But if you're still worried about it, I suggest that you just talk to him about it. Just ask him straight out, and see what he says."

"Thank you, Tank." Was all she could think of to say. She wished that she would be able to tell him more…how much his friendship had meant to her over the years, and now more than it ever had before. But she found that she did not have the nerve, nor unfortunately the lack of pride to do so. Instead she bid him a final goodbye before she left the room to head back to her own and wait for Neo's inevitable return.

(o)

The room was empty when Neo returned to it, which disappointed him beyond belief as he had been hoping that Trinity may already be there. Sighing heavily to himself, Neo flopped onto the bed, suddenly overcome with a sense of exhaustion as he stared up at the ceiling of the bed cave. Before he knew it, he had slipped into a light doze and was almost completely asleep when he heard the red steel door creak open and someone step into the room.

"Hey, Trin." He smiled as she stepped into their room, closing the door softly behind her. She said nothing in reply, her expression cold and darkened for reasons he could not understand. He knew immediately that something had to be wrong.

Trinity stared at him as he pulled himself into a sitting position, the smile fading from his face as he gazed back at her in a mixture of worry and confusion. All at once, she was claimed with a wash of relief and of reassurance when her eyes met with his own. Somehow then she knew, without even seeing need to open her mouth, that what Dwayne had told her had to be false. But even so, his words continued to plague her mind. She knew she would not be satisfied until she had asked him, and she also knew that she wouldn't be able to trust him until she had his spoken word.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, bending to hurriedly remove her boots from her feet. He could almost feel exhaustion radiating off her very being the moment she lay down beside him, although she kept herself at a certain distance from him, leaving a small space between them.

A time of silence passed, each attempting to avoid the other's eyes as Trinity struggled to muster up enough will to take Tank's advice and confront Neo about Vivianna. Eventually, she gathered enough courage to speak in a rough and uneven tone.

"Neo, I want to ask you about something. Actually, I want to ask you about someone."

"Who?" Neo replied, coaxing his head to the side in question.

"Vivianna."

"Vivianna?" He laughed uneasily. "What about her?"

She couldn't look at him, for somehow she already knew now that her assumptions were wrong. She should never have believed Dwayne…why she had done so in the first place, she still did not know. She didn't know why, but there was something in the tone of his voice, perhaps, that told her that she had made an incorrect assumption.

"Did Dwayne run into you and Vivianna today in the Food Hall while I was away?"

"Yeah, he did." Neo frowned. "I…I didn't want to wait here alone for you so I went somewhere where I knew they'd be people. Then Vivianna turned up and we started talking. Then Dwayne showed up as well, so we left shortly after that. Then I came back here to wait for you."

"You were at the hospital with her first, weren't you?" She mumbled, disliking each question she asked him. It almost made her feel like an interrogator from a movie, or a nagging, middle-aged wife.

"I walked her there so she could take her next shift." He raised an eyebrow in question. "How did you know?"

"Dwayne came to me the moment he left you. He took me to the hospital…showed me you and Vivianna." She paused, shaking her head gravely. His lips twitched into a sad, quivering smile, and the awkwardness between them reminded her of the time before Cypher's betrayal, when she was still questioning the new sensations of feelings and emotions that had overcome her. It seemed as if her brief period of doubt and suspicion had caused them to drift slightly apart, but only making a dent in the bond that they had somehow managed to create with one another. At that moment, she sorely wished that she had never even thought to ask him…hadn't doubted him, but had trusted him, as she had done so on every occasion before.

"He said some things." She continued reluctantly. "Strange things. He said that love was not an emotion or feeling…it was a human instinct to reproduce, made to make people believe that there was something deeper so that it would assist their desire to continue the human race."

"So?" He laughed nervously, still unsure of where this conversation could lead. He didn't like the idea of Dwayne talking to Trinity…telling her things that she could have taken to heart. "Does it matter what it really is? What's important is the way it makes you feel, right?"

"That's what Tank told me." She replied solemnly, feeling her cheeks redden at the prospect of explaining it to him. "Before I reminded him that this could mean that if love was only an instinct, then it wasn't as strong as people may have thought it to be. It also means that one person could love two people. It's not like in a fairytale."

"Hang on, when did you talk to Tank about this?"

"Before I came back here. I…I-I didn't know where else to go." She choked, pushing back oncoming tears. It occurred to her then, as it had done on so many different occasions, that she hadn't ever cried in the real world until Neo had come into her life. She had certainly become more emotional in the course of the past few months, and it still felt strange to her to consider how far she had come emotionally in such a short amount of time.

"Come here." He whispered after a long pause, instinctively reaching out an arm and enveloping it around her waist, pulling her tightly against him and clutching at the rough material of her clothes. She let escape a gasp of surprise, momentarily stunned by his sudden movements before she allowed the warmth of his body and the security of his firm arms to overcome her, and she relaxed into his embrace, resting her cheek against his shoulder. Every word that Dwayne had said to her seemed to flow away through the crack at the base of the door and out into the distance, leaving her with a clear mind and conscience. Surely, she had been wrong to think in his frame of mind. As Tank had said, there were different kinds of love. There was the instinct…and then there was the emotion, and the feeling itself. That could never be betrayed, or could die out. It was what held people together…it was why it was impossible for Neo to fall in love with Vivianna.

"Y-You don't believe anything he told you, do you?" He murmured into the soft folds of her hair. "Because if you still do, then I'll have to stay up all night with you debating it."

"No. Tank convinced me not to believe that ages ago." She said with a laugh.

"Then what's bothering you?" He asked, feeling slightly put out that she had seen Tank first before she had spoken with him.

"Vivianna is." She turned away, staring down as she felt her face grow hot from humiliation, though she forced her words to surface. As much as she now believed this impossible, she still felt the need to hear him confirm it. Besides, she had already irked his sense of curiosity when she first mentioned Vivianna's name. She knew that she would never ask him if she didn't do so now. "Neo, are you…I mean, when I asked about you being at the hospital with Vivianna, I meant…God, I don't know how I'm meant to phrase this."

"You don't need to." He said inexpressively, feeling his entire body stiffen with disbelief. The idea was absurd enough that it made him want to laugh, though he managed to hold his tongue. She thinks that Vivianna and I were…God, I didn't even think of that as a possibility! Though I suppose that Dwayne must have when he ran into us the other day, now that I think about some of the things he said to me. But Trinity? What would provoke her into believing something like that?

"Vivianna and I were only talking for about fifteen minutes, Trin. It wasn't that long. I told you what happened, didn't I?" He urged her to believe him…she had to believe him. He didn't know what he'd do if she didn't.

"I know." She smiled sadly, finally bringing her eyes back to his own. "I was too quick to act. I was being irrational…I didn't consider the facts. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He sighed, searching for her hand and finding it, clutching it in his own. A sudden surge of rage swept over him for causes unknown to him. He was angry with everybody, but mainly with himself. Angry that he had unintentionally allowed this to happen. "They can go to hell. Vivianna…Dwayne…the whole lot of them."

She wanted to remind him that it was not Vivianna's fault, though now didn't seem the time, so she merely nodded instead, shifting closer towards him, though not once letting go of his hand. I've lost him twice now. Well, once I didn't really lose him, because he didn't technically die. But even so, once is more than enough. Maybe that's why I was so quick to think that something must have been wrong. I don't want to have to lose him again.

"It was stupid to be worried. But when I saw you, I thought…" She stopped herself, cursing herself for being so prone to speak her thoughts aloud. "Sorry. This really doesn't sound like me."

"That's ok." He whispered with a smile. "Didn't I tell you that you could be as open as you liked around me and not have to worry?"

"You did mention it." She said, smiling now too. Remembering her earlier exhaustion, she allowed her eyes to close and yawned, welcoming the full embrace of his body.

"Why don't we both go out for a while?" He suggested. "Just somewhere in Zion. You and me."

She shook her head. "I'd rather stay here."

"Alright." He said with a yawn that mimicked her own. "I suppose we've got plenty of time."

"Plenty of time…" She repeated, slipping into a peaceful and untroubled sleep without the slightest amount of trouble.

(o)

Trinity wasn't surprised when she woke at a late hour of the day the following morning, with Neo lying just beside her, sprawled out across the bed sheets. She shifted into an upright position, rolling up the sleeves of her stained over-shirt and surveying her dirtied hands passively, deciding that she may as well take a shower.

"No." Neo muttered from behind closed eyelids in a groggy, restful tone the moment she began to climb out of the bed. "Stay."

She froze, startled by his sudden words, having believed him to still be asleep. Smiling, she lowered herself back into the bed only to be instantly taken in his embrace.

She had only just closed her eyes, and was allowing herself to become content in his arms when a sharp knocking on the door interrupted their thoughts. Trinity let out a small gasp of surprise, the knocking unwillingly bringing her back into reality. Inwardly cursing herself for yet again becoming carried away within her thoughts, she pulled out from him hurriedly, ensuring that there was no reddish hue to her cheeks before she made her way to the door.

"Morpheus?" She blinked up at her captain in a sudden daze of confusion, barely registering Neo as he slid up behind her to greet the newcomer.

"Trinity, Neo." Morpheus smiled kindly, nodding to both in greeting.

"Do you want to come in?" Neo offered, gesturing to the darkening interior of the room.

"No, I won't bother you. I've only come to tell you that we plan to leave as soon as possible tomorrow morning." He informed them. "Raven's been registered as a citizen of Zion, and has been given a place and accommodation at the academy. It's time for us to go."

"We'll be ready." Trinity replied sternly, already resuming the commanding tone she reserved solely for use on board the ship.

"I'll meet you tomorrow at the dock." Morpheus concluded, nodding once more before moving aside to leave.

Trinity sighed, for the first time in her life actually finding that she resented returning to the ship. Despite all the events that had occurred, she hadn't minded spending three or so days in the blissful tranquility of the last city of mankind. In fact, she may even say that she enjoyed it, especially the rare privilege of privacy they had been able to obtain. For once, the return to the struggle and battles of the war was not a thing she looked forward to.

"D-Do you think that we should tell the Council about Senesis?" Neo thought aloud once the door had been closed, Morpheus's unexpected reminder of the war that was raging beyond the city reminding him of their new, most menacing threat. "Neither Morpheus or I said anything to them during our hearing earlier."

Trinity paused to consider this, then firmly shook her head. "Morpheus knows what he's doing. If he doesn't want to tell the Council yet, then I'm sure he has a reason for it. Perhaps he doesn't want them to send you into battle to defeat it or something ridiculous like that."

"They won't, will they?" He cast her a hesitant glance, the unthinkable image of himself leading a leather-clad army through the Matrix in order to destroy the new foe. He wasn't built to be a leader…not that kind, anyway. The thought in itself was enough to make anyone laugh.

"Well, they might if they know about Senesis." Trinity pondered. "I'm just trying to put myself in the mind of the Council. Now they believe that you are the One, they may expect you to continue performing miracles and eventually bring an end to the war."

"I don't even know how to do that." He protested.

"I know." She smiled at the childish scowl on his face. "But they might think that you do. They may believe that just because you're the One, you'll have the answers to everything, and so might the rest of Zion when they eventually find out who you really are."

"Hopefully that won't be for a while." He began to mutter sarcastically. "Great. Soon enough people will start expecting me to rally an army of men and march them into the machine city, knowing perfectly well how I planned to bring an end to the war."

"They might." She admitted, hoping to find a way to prevent him from thinking of such things. She knew from past experiences that thoughts of what his future may hold for him were never good for him both mentally and physically. "But try not to think about what people will expect of you. The Oracle said that she'd let you know your purpose when time came for you to know it. Your purpose as the One may end up being very different to what you might think it is."

She gazed up into his eyes, remembering that only moments before they were interrupted, he had held her in his arms and reassured her that all she had thought about Vivianna had been a lie. Now that they were alone once more, part of her wished that he would embrace her again, while another part – the stronger part – reminded her that another interruption could arise at any given time. It then occurred to her that this would be, in fact, their last night in the lone privacy of Zion, perhaps for some great deal of time. In that instant, the weaker side of her won, and the event of an intrusion no longer seemed to matter. This could very well be the only time they had.

"I-I'm going to take a shower." She said mildly, maneuvering her way around him and already heading to the bathroom door. He watched her silently, a soft smile forming on his face. He never seemed to be able to understand how she was able to tell him what he wanted to hear, and yet manage to make him see the lighter side of things as well.

Much to his surprise, she didn't bother to close the bathroom door at all, but proceeded to strip from her clothing nevertheless. She didn't object, either, when he stood in the doorframe and watched her as she stepped into the shower, drawing the curtain around her so that he could see her silhouette reflected in the material. It was not, however, to her surprise that he stripped down and joined her only a few minutes later, embracing her as the warm drizzle of water trickled over their heated skin……

(o)

"Shame that we can't stay here any longer." Tank mused, toying with his spoon the following morning at breakfast. "I honestly don't think that three days was enough."

Neo nodded in agreement from the opposite end of the table, refilling an empty mug of water and passing across to Cas, who accepted it gratefully and handed it to her young son.

"Do you know when you'll next be back?" Zee questioned her brother icily, lifting her whining niece from space between herself and Trinity and placing her onto her lap.

"No idea." He admitted with a shrug, turning his attentions to Neo and Trinity instead. "Do either of you guys know?"

"Morpheus never really specifies." Trinity answered absentmindedly, stealing brief glances at Neo from the opposite side of the table, but never managing to catch his eye. She didn't want to say anything aloud, but she wished that he would soon notice the fact that Vivianna was continuously glancing at him whenever she dared from a table across the room.

Neo sat stiffly on the end of the bench at the table, having the strangest feeling that someone was watching him from behind…as if a pair of eyes were glaring at his back. Eventually finding that he was unable to ignore it any longer, he chanced swiveling around in his seat to see if his assumptions had been correct. Instantly, he caught Vivianna's eye from a table filled with people of about her age, most of which were absorbed in youthful conversation. Vivianna, however, appeared completely uninterested, and he was sure that it had been her eyes that he had felt lingering on his back earlier.

Not knowing what else to do, he gave her a cheery smile, waving to her just before she was preparing to turn away again with embarrassment. She smiled back at him politely, holding out a hand and then turning her back to him once more, not daring to try and look at him again. He couldn't help but notice that there was something uncomfortable in the way she addressed him now that had not been so before, though he wasn't entirely sure why. There was something about the stiffness in the wave she had given him…a sense of hostility in her tight smile and her large, dark eyes…a feeling of uneasiness and humiliation. When he turned back to face the table, he found that Trinity was glaring at him questionably, and he merely shrugged in reply, turning back to his food again.

"Man, I'm gonna miss good food like this." Tank sighed exhaustedly, settling back on the bench beside his young nephew and smiling at him. "You wanna help your old uncle pack his bags, kiddo?"

"Yeah." Sef grinned, pushing away his empty plate.

"I guess I'll meet you two at the dock." Tank informed Neo and Trinity a while later as he and the rest of his family stood to leave. He winked. "Don't be too long getting there."

After several polite goodbyes directed to the rest of Tank's family, they departed through the entrance to the Food Hall, Tank nursing both children in his arms as he went. Only moments later, Trinity decided to follow suit and left the table without so much as a word to Neo, knowing that he would be merely a few steps behind in her wake. They had only just arrived at the elevator when a deep, musty voice rung into Neo's ear, breathing hot breath on the back of his neck and sending a cold shiver tracing down his spine.

"You're Neo."

He jumped, turning around instantly and feeling the colour drain from his face when he met with a set of large, bulging emerald green eyes that glared back at him unblinkingly. He stepped back as far as the surrounding crowd would permit him to, but she merely closed the gap between them, long coils of blonde hair that cascaded down to her waist sliding over her unusually thin, white shoulders. Indeed, she was incredibly thin and sickly for her age group, which could only be about sixteen. The tight, earth brown dress that clung to her figure only made her appear thinner, revealing the way her stomach would curve inwards as she propelled her body towards him, each of her unique movements even more mesmerizing than her eyes.

"Lorena?" He gulped. It had been a long time since he had thought about her, and would have almost forgotten her complete existence if he hadn't encountered her then. Part of him believed he would have been better off forgetting her, for in truth he was afraid of her. It was not her eerie sense of beauty that troubled him, nor was it the enchanting, slow movements she made that could so easily have enraptured any man. It was the way that she could move so silently behind him that he feared about her the most. For all he could have known, she may have been following him ever since he had arrived in Zion.

"You remember me." She smiled. It had been the first time he had ever seen her smile since he had known her. Oddly enough, her smile was not cold or eerie, but kind and soft…almost cheerful, giving him a fleeting glimpse of what she may have been like once, sometime ago. As soon as it had appeared, the smile faded away.

"You need to help me, Neo." She whispered so softly that he needed to strain his ears to hear her, although she was standing so close to him now that her body was almost pressed up against his own. "I wanted to ask you before, but I couldn't…I couldn't because I did not want to be wrong."

"Wrong about what?" He whispered back, following her lead by changing to a lower, denser tone.

"I heard people talking. They said that you were the One. I wanted to be sure…but now it's too late. I have to trust you, and you have to trust me."

"What are you talking about?" He shook his head in confusion, casting a brief glance in Trinity's direction only to see that she had already moved into the elevator with the rest of the gathering crowd. The doors would close any minute soon. "Who was talking? Who said I was…" He paused, making sure that no one was paying them any attention before he continued. "…the One?"

"Please, Neo." She replied, ignoring his questions completely as she had done the last time they had met. "Please…you have to help me. I'm his prisoner, Neo. His prisoner."

"Prisoner? Whose prisoner?" He said as he backed into the elevator, sensing that the doors were to close at any moment.

Lorena's eyes clouded with tears that leaked down over the sides of her cheeks and mingled with her untamed hair. Like her eyes, her tears were larger than normal. If they had been clearer, he was sure he would have been able to see his own reflection in them.

"You have to help me, Neo. Please. I'm his prisoner…his prisoner!"

The elevator doors clanked shut, drowning out the sound of her voice. But even once the elevator slowly began to trundle towards the upper floors, he could still hear her final words, pushing their way into his thoughts and circling around in his head.

(o)

Trinity zipped up her now packed bag, lifting it from the made bed and hoisting it over her shoulder. She turned to face Neo, who was leaning against one of the bare walls in the narrow hallway beside the open front door, his arms folded across his chest and his eyes lowered, clearly lost in deep thought.

"Ready to go?" She asked him warily. It was a good few minutes before he looked up at her and responded with a nod, his eyes clouded with fear and uncertainty before he lowered them again.

"Are you alright?" She said, taking to his side and staring up at him anxiously. "You're not still worried about Lorena, are you?"

"I can't stop thinking about those last few words she said to me. Before I stepped into the elevator." He finally locked her with a steady gaze. "She said she was his prisoner."

"Unless there's anything more she can tell you, then there's nothing we can do." She sighed, resting a hand comfortingly on his arm. "Try and forget about it, alright?"

"Alright." He smiled, though it was a smile of both worry and doubt.

Trinity followed him out of the room, closing the door tightly behind her with one last look in upon their room, thinking with regret that it could be a good few weeks (perhaps even months) before she looked in on it again. She could tell, when she risked looking into Neo's clouded eyes, that he was thinking of the same thing.

Neo couldn't have felt less like returning to the ship once he had bid a final farewell to their room, which may have accounted for his stopping when he caught sight of Vivianna, striding along a nearby corridor with a large group of surrounding friends. As he paused to stare at her – hair bright and vibrant against the dull and mousy colour of her peers' – an idea suddenly occurred to him, triggered by a distant conversation they had once shared. Casting a quick, apologetic glance in Trinity's direction, he began to run towards her as swiftly as he could, darting past swarms of startled on-comers.

"Vivianna!" He panted when he finally approached her, skidding to a halt directly in front of her and drawing in a fresh gasp of air.

"Neo?" Vivianna replied quizzically, raising an eyebrow in question. "I-Is something wrong? Why are you dressed like you're going to leave?"

"I was about to leave before I saw you." He stated once he had regained his breath. "I had to ask you something before I left."

"Sure." She replied, turning and muttering to the friend who stood beside her. "I'll catch up with you later."

"I need to call in a favor." He continued once they had been left alone. "Remember once, back when you were taking me through those medical tests when I first arrived in Zion, that you told me you had a photographic memory?"

"Yeah." She said after a collective pause. "What of it?"

"Do you have access to the medical files of everyone here in Zion?"

"I think so…though I'm not sure if it's legal to go snooping through other people's confidential information." She replied jokingly.

"Well, I'm going to have to ask you to break the law." He smirked. "I need you to run a background search for a Zion-born girl named Lorena."

"What!?" Vivianna gaped in alarm. "Why on earth would you want me to do that!?"

"Listen," He hissed. "Only just before this Lorena girl came up to me and started saying some things…strange things. I think she wants me to help her. But to do that, I need to understand what's wrong with her. If you could do a background check and find out everything you can about her, then maybe I might be able to."

"I-I'm not sure if I can do that." She stuttered, her face turning a pale shade of green at the very thought. "I can't…it's illegal, and it could cost me my apprenticeship if I was caught."

"You wouldn't have to spend too long there. Once you find the file, you only need to glimpse at it and you'll remember every word that had been written down there, right?"

She nodded hesitantly. "I suppose so."

"Then you won't really have enough time to get caught. It shouldn't take that long to find her file. I would do it myself if I could, but I can't. Even if I wasn't about to leave on a ship for who knows how long, I still wouldn't have the access to any medical files." He looked into her eyes pleadingly, unable to help noticing that they had saddened at the mention of his departure. "Please, Vivianna. I really want to help her."

Her eyes seemed to soften suddenly, and changed from an expression of sadness and fear to a mixture of emotions Neo simply couldn't place. "Alright." She eventually said. "Fine, I'll do it. But…but only for your sake."

"Thanks, Vivianna." He sighed with relief. He knew that he would not be able to free himself from Lorena's haunting words until he had managed to help her, and he did want to help her as well. He hated seeing any human in the sorry state she was in now. "I owe you big time."

"I…I guess you better go now." She mumbled, staring intently down at the floor, dark waves of hair masking the most of her face from view.

"Yeah." He smiled. "Thank you. I guess we'll be seeing each other soon."

"Soon." She repeated in a dreamy state. "Goodbye, Neo."

"See you." He turned, but only managed to bring a few strides distance between them before she stopped him with the sound of her voice.

"Neo!" She yelled suddenly, forcing him to face her once more.

"Yeah?"

She parted her lips, mouthing wordlessly for a while as she had done when he had told her about his relationship with Trinity. It took some time before she was ready to speak to him properly, finding and reclaiming her old, cheery tone.

"Nothing. You better go."

Somehow, he had the impression that she wished to tell him something more, but decided not to pressure her any further. Already she had undertaken a task on his behalf that could put an end to her career. He bid her a final wave of parting before he turned and made his way back to a clearly disgruntled Trinity, who was waiting for him outside the elevator that would take them to the dock.

(o)

A/N: Yep, I think this is my longest chapter ever. It took a whole lot of rewriting to finally get it the way I wanted it, and I'm not even sure if I like it now as it is. Trinity feels a bit out of character to me. What do you think?

I hope you enjoyed it and please, PLEASE remember to review!!


	31. Blind Faith

A/N: I apologize yet again for making everyone wait so long for an update. I have recently gone back to school and it's been hell so far this year (even though I've only been back for one week). Your support would really make my day, if you would be kind enough to review this chapter. Hope you like it!

31

There were six of them. Long, gnarling, gnashing tentacles that propelled them through the air…a dozen or so eyes that burned red like burning fire…mechanical claws that groped at the air as if desperately searching to find something they could not see. Six of them passing by the ship…each one slightly larger than the last.

One of them must have noticed the ship – heard the sound of an engine that had not completely died out yet. It screeched, the sound piercing through the ears of the watching crew, signaling to the others to follow it as it came hurtling down towards the seemingly defenseless hovercraft.

"Now, Tank, now!" The captain bellowed into the intercom he held rigidly to his mouth.

A blinding white light streamed out from the ship, sending sound waves pumping into the atmosphere. All bystanders found they had to shield their eyes from view as the light filled each dominion both inside and out of where they were standing. The screeching of the sentinels slowly began to die, before their mechanical bodies dropped to the bottom of the sewers – dead. Gradually, the light began to melt away into nothingness.

"All sentinels down, Sir." Tank's voice broke into the stillness of the cockpit where all had been silent. "Power coming back online."

Light filled the ship once more, only now it was the familiar yellow glow of the ship's lighting system. Neo sighed heavily, realizing that he'd been gripping the back of the copilot's chair so tightly that his knuckles had turned a shade of ghostly white. He leaned over to peer into the dank of the sewers, hoping to catch a glimpse of the fallen sentinels, though his attempt was futile. Everything below them was shrouded in misted darkness.

"These sentinel attacks are becoming more frequent." Trinity turned to her captain, focusing on masking the worry in her voice and in her eyes. "We've been out here a little over two weeks and already there's been three. Last time there were none at all, and the time before that there was only one."

"I know, Trinity." Morpheus scratched his chin in deep thought. "There's never been this number of attacks in such a short amount of time. They usually keep their distance from us. I think they might be planning something."

Later that night, as Neo lay awake in bed, he couldn't help running the words of his captain through his mind. _They might be planning something…does that mean the time has almost come for me to fight them? I can't do that! I'm not ready! I don't even know what I'm going to do. Do they really expect me to rally some troops and march them into the machine city, knowing full well what is needed to be done? No, I'm no leader. I could never do that sort of thing. But if Morpheus is right, then perhaps I may end up having to._

Trinity was lying in front of him on her side, with his arm wrapped around her midsection. He moved even closer to her, holding her against him as tightly as he could without waking her, as if he were afraid of ever having to let her go…

(o)

"Something's bothering you, isn't it?"

Neo looked up from across the table in the Mess Hall with sudden confusion. Trinity was staring back at him, her eyes locked on his own. Ever since the last sentinel attack, she had sensed something different in him. He seemed distant…quiet even by his standards. It was as if he had suddenly gone into his own private reverie of silent thought which he refused to share with anyone. She quirked an eyebrow at him, and a small smile crept onto his face.

"You can read people like an open book." He laughed.

"It wasn't very difficult to tell that something was wrong." She frowned as an idea sprung to mind. "You're not still thinking about Lorena, are you?"

Neo firmly shook his head. "No, that's not it. It's just…well, you heard what Morpheus said in the cockpit that day. The unusual frequent attacks might be a sign that the machines are planning something."

Trinity sighed, now finally understanding what had been troubling him. He was worried that the time would come in which he needed to fulfill his purpose as the One much sooner than expected, before anyone had told him what to do. It was times like these when she found herself wishing she could fight the war for him, and take the mounds of stress off his back and put it all on herself. Perhaps even for one day, just so he could have a short break. But she knew it was impossible. He was the One. All him…all alone. These were his battles. She wanted to help him, at least. She hated seeing him this way. If only she knew what was the right thing to say…

"Do you remember when we were unplugging Raven, and Morpheus went to see the Oracle?" She waited until Neo had nodded before she continued. "Do you remember what the message Morpheus brought back to you?"

"Yes. She told me that when an unexpected event takes place, I need to go and see her immediately and she'll tell me my destiny." He replied. "But what if she sends a sign, and I don't notice it? What if something happens, and I'm expected to end the war before the Oracle gets a chance to tell me what I need to do?"

"Neo, you should know better than anyone that the Oracle is never wrong. Never." She reached out a hand and found his from across the table, entwining their fingers together. "If she says she'll send a sign, she'll send one that you're bound to notice. It will happen before you're expected to do anything, you'll see. No one can make you do anything if you don't even _know_ what you have to do."

"People expect too much of me, that's the problem." Neo smiled. "I mean, nearly everyone in Zion is oblivious to the fact that I'm the One, but those who do know look at me as if they expect me to perform miracles, destroy the machines and put an end to all of their pain and suffering effortlessly. How am I meant to do all of that on my own? I may be the One, but I'm still just one man."

_This is great, _He found himself thinking. _Getting everything off my chest and into the open…being able to speak to such a trustworthy person. No wonder I've always liked talking to her._

"You're underestimating yourself, Neo. You'll never be able to end this war if you don't believe you can." Trinity sighed. "I keep telling you, try not to think about it just yet. We'll take care of it when it happens."

(o)

"Tosha O'Dea." The science teacher swerved in between several tables until he came to a short, fair-haired girl who was staring past him with hazy brown eyes as if he weren't even there. Neo watched on with mild interest from the consol, using the lip-reading skills Raven had taught him to try and understand the conversation.

"Tosha O'Dea!" The teacher shouted, slamming his hands down on the desk in front of her with such force that it seemed to shake the entire classroom. The girl blinked up at him as if realizing that he was standing there for the first time.

"Hmm…anyone call?" She asked drearily, causing her surrounding classmates to snigger. "Oh, hello, Sir. There's no need to shout at me, you know. I'm right here."

"You weren't listening to my lecture at all, were you?" The teacher scowled reproachfully.

"Yes I was!" Tosha exclaimed in protest. "I was taking notes."

"Do these look like science notes to you, class?" He seized hold of her notebook and began to thumb through the pages, holding each up so that all could see. She had sketched pictures of various, fantastical creatures, most of which featured artist conceptions of different teachers or students the rest of her class seemed to know, for they burst into a hysterical fit of laughter each time a picture was shown. Neo himself found it difficult to suppress a smile when he saw the sketch labeled '_What my science teacher would look like if he was a nymph'._

"Tosha, I know you can do better than this. You're a smart kid." The teacher sighed. "Come on, then. Let's get on task."

"I'm on the task." Tosha replied, thumping her hand down on top of her notebook and gazing at her teacher in a mock-serious manner. The class erupted in a fit of laughter while the teacher glared at her loathingly. Neo leaned closer to the Matrix screens, watching the neon coding with amusement. Taking shifts in the core were so much more interesting when he could understand what people were saying.

"Alright, Tosha." The teacher said witheringly. "Seeing as you like attention so much, why don't you stand up on the desk and give us all a little dance then?"

_God, this guy has no idea. _Neo shook his head and grinned to himself, knowing full well that Tosha wouldn't hesitate to do it. Sure enough, she shrugged meekly, stood up on the desk and began to dance.

"That's smart." Neo murmured, thinking aloud to himself.

"What is?" Trinity asked from the darkness behind him, causing him to jump in his seat before he turned to face her.

"This girl, Tosha." Neo explained once he'd recovered. "Her teacher said something to her sarcastically, but she preferred to interoperate it literally. She can't get into any sort of trouble for doing it, because the technically he told her to in the first place. She's pretty smart for her age."

"Who is it your watching anyway?" Trinity leaned over Neo's shoulder to get a closer look at the screens while Tosha leapt off the desk and left with the rest of her class, informing them that school must have ended.

Neo shrugged. "This Tosha girl. Tosha O'Dea. She's a hacker Morpheus told me to keep an eye on for a while. I think he might be considering to unplug her."

"Nice socks." Trinity commented sardonically after a pause, observing the knee-high, rainbow stripped socks on the young girl. She had tucked the rim of her torn jeans inside them, and wore a loose fitting shirt with the words 'Beautiful Mind' printed across the front, and a hand knitted beanie.

"Interesting fashion sense, huh?" Neo grinned. "And quite a sense of humor. She has a folder on her computer desktop she labeled 'Evil Plans'."

"She _sounds _interesting." Trinity remarked with a laugh. "But she doesn't seem like the sort of person Morpheus would usually want to unplug."

"I guess Morpheus is just willing to take his chances." Neo responded uninterestedly.

For reasons unknown to her, Trinity couldn't but feel uneasy about the girl. There was just something about her that seemed untrustworthy…too logical…not the kind of person Morpheus – or any other sensible captain for that matter – would consider unplugging. She slid both arms over Neo's shoulders, draping them down to his chest, watching the screens more carefully.

"Coming shopping with us, Tosha?" One of the girl's two only friends asked her after putting a long, humorous conversation about the last science class to an end.

"Nah," Tosha replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'm going to the park so I can be alone with my suppressive teenage angst, where I can drink coffee and bond with the exotic bird life."

"Suit yourself." Her friend replied with a giggle, giving her a small wave and heading in the opposite direction with another girl.

"Doesn't look like she's gonna do anything else interesting." Neo beamed when he tilted his head back in order to gaze into Trinity's eyes. "But I guess Morpheus would want me to tell you to keep an eye on her as well."

"Probably." She said, with a hint of uneasiness strong enough for Neo to sense almost immediately.

"Something wrong?" He asked cautiously.

"No, not really." She lied, not at all in the mood for discussing her feelings right now. _Besides, _she thought warily to herself, _it's probably just me, anyway. If there's one thing the whole experience in Zion with Vivianna has taught me about myself, it's that I'm prone to react irrationally whenever Neo pays the slightest bit of attention to another woman. But somehow, this doesn't feel like it did with Vivianna. It's different. It's not about Neo._

"What are you going to look at?" Neo asked, breaking through her train of thought as he offered her his seat.

"My brother. You know, it was his birthday three days ago."

"Really?"

Trinity nodded slightly, tapping in the specific code that brought up the dimly familiar image of a suburban house in San Francisco. It was odd, she had figured, that ever since she had met and fallen in love with Neo, she had found herself thinking about her Matrix family even more. She had begun to remember things…small and insignificant things, like dates or events of little significance to her back then. It was this, and not the mere fact that it happened to also be three days after her brother's birthday, that she had decided to search for him once more.

It was a dismal afternoon, with rain hammering down on the roof and the image of lighting crashing in the distance, illuminating pasts of the patchy, dark clouds. Hope's two children were safely inside, curled up on the couch on opposite sides of their mother, who appeared to be reading aloud to them from a book. Hope himself, however, was nowhere to be seen in the presence of his family. Scanning the upper stories of the house for him more thoroughly, Trinity was surprised to find him sitting alone in the attic atop an old, forgotten box. He was gazing down at a flimsy piece of paper in his hands, his face expressionless save the glint of remorse in his lightning blue eyes.

"What's he looking at?" Neo whispered curiously, forgetting entirely about the fact that he was meant to be retiring for sleep.

Trinity zoomed in closer on the paper, and at once felt her body stiffen when she came to see what it really was. Neo rested a hand comfortingly on her shoulder, squeezing it gently as he gazed intently at the screens. It was a photograph of six people in total, as well as a baby, which seemed to have been taken during mid-autumn. A thin-faced, dark featured man standing with his arms wrapped tightly around the waist of a woman, resting his chin on her shoulder. The woman was young, and exceedingly pretty, with long coils of crisp golden hair and bold blue eyes. She was cradling a baby in her arms that look as if it could only be a few months old, wrapped tightly in a pink blanket to shield it from the cold. She was holding it proudly up to the camera, while the blue-eyed child appeared to be squealing excitedly with delight. Then there were two teenagers, the older one practically a man who had inherited most of his father's characteristics, with the exception of his eyes, which came from his mother. He was sitting on the floor, his body turned to the side with one knee bent and an arm resting carefully on top of it. To the right of him was his younger sister, who could have well been his identical twin.

But what had first caught and captured Neo's attention was the younger girl of only about seven. Her sister – an image of what she was bound to become when she was older – had encircled her arms around the waist of the smaller girl, bending forward and forcing her to bend forward as well. At a closer look, Neo could see that she was resting all of her weight on her older sister, so that her legs were almost completely off the ground. She was wearing worn, hand-me-down sneakers and a pair of denim shorts, as well as a powder blue jersey. Her shoulder length, dark ebony hair had been scraped back into a high ponytail, apart from a single fine, curled strand of hair that fell down one side of her face. But what had really entranced him was her eyes. They were ice blue, glowing with stubborn determination, and brilliantly bright against her pale skin. At only seven years old, her very being already bubbling with inner strength and power that could never accurately be measured. She was strong and powerful, and yet beautiful at the same time. Beauty in Strength.

"My God," Trinity smiled to herself. "I didn't know he had a copy of that. I thought it was only Faith who did."

"Faith has a copy?"

Trinity nodded, answering him promptly. "She framed it, so that it's sitting on the desk beside the computer in her bedroom."

"It's a nice photo." Neo complimented shyly to the seven beaming faces in the photograph.

"I remember the day it was taken." She recalled the moment rather gravely. "Faith had just been born. In only five month's time, Charity, my older sister, would commit suicide. This is the only photograph we ever were able to take of our entire family being together."

Neo looked into the eyes of the smiling girl who was embracing the child that would grow to become the woman he loved. The smile on her face did not seem artificial, but cheery and filled with joy, as if nothing in world could ever bring her down. He thought of her as the sort of person who would spend most of her time daydreaming, living a life up in the clouds. There was nothing dark about her…nothing oppressive.

"Strange." He pondered aloud. "She doesn't look suicidal to me."

"That's what everyone said when she died." Trinity replied. "Charity and I were very close, as you probably can tell from the photo. I looked up to her as my role model. I used to tell her everything about my life, and what I was thinking and feeling. We would spend hours sitting in our shared bedroom together talking, sometimes about meaningful things, and sometimes about pointless things. It didn't really matter. She had a job, so she could buy her own things. She always had cool clothes, CDs, makeup and shoes. I got left with all her hand-me-downs. But that didn't matter either. I used to worship her." She added the last sentence with a laugh. "The problem was that she was a very private person. Although I would share my deepest thoughts and feelings with her, she never really opened up in return to me. She kept everything to herself. It annoyed me, but I never asked her about it. I was afraid of ruining our relationship and we'd start fighting, like other sisters do. We'd never had a fight before at all. But if only I knew…if only I asked her to talk through her problems with me, then maybe I could have stopped what was happening. Rape…unhealthy addictions…frequent extreme states of depression…all these things she never told anyone about that eventually ended in her death. She couldn't cope with it anymore, so she didn't want to live anymore. One afternoon, she left home for her weekend job, but she never came back."

"Trin…" Neo trailed away, left utterly speechless by her words. Throughout her entire explanation, her voice hadn't given away any trace of emotion, and yet he could feel her body shaking beneath the hand he rested on her shoulder. Again, he gazed into the bright, youthful and promising eyes of Charity, finding it hard to imagine that this same girl would give up her own life in less than five months time. Trinity's life was filled with so much suffering…so much grief. It was almost so impossibly painful that he couldn't believe it was real…

"All she had to do was walk down to the beach, and jump off the cliff ledge onto the rocks. Just one little jump and it was all over." Now even her voice was beginning to tremble as she continued to remember. "I still remember the very last words she ever said to me, when she knew she would never see me again. She said, 'Take care of yourself for me, kiddo. Don't keep letting people push you around. You have to be strong. No matter what happens, and no matter what you do, always remember to be strong. I guess I'll see you again…sometime. You know, I think you're the reason I was able to keep on living for so long.' Then she winked at me. She told me…she told me she loved me. But I never said anything back. I didn't take her words to heart. Not until I found out what happened. It was then I knew I'd regret not saying anything that could have stopped her for the rest of my life. I didn't think I'd ever be able to find anyone like her again, who I could share everything with."

Neo turned the seat around so that she was facing him, immediately enveloping her in a tight embrace, pulling her fragile body up out of the chair and closer to his. There was something pitiful about her words that was so unlike her, which had only made him want to hold onto her, and to bring comfort to her again.

"You've got me to talk to." He whispered to her reassuringly. "Always, remember? You've got me for always."

This only made her hold onto him even tighter, and it was a solid fifteen minutes before she finally let go, allowing him to draw away from her. He could see there were a few tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. Smiling softly to himself, he brushed them away with his thumb, causing her to smile as well.

"I must look pretty horrible." She sniffed. She hated crying, ever since the day of Charity's death. At the funeral, she remembered standing beside her father and clutching onto his hand. They were the only two people attending the service who weren't in tears. She hated them all…hated them for crying, because she knew that Charity would hate them for it, too. Crying was weak. Charity always told her to be strong.

"No," Neo murmured to her soothingly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and drawing her in against him. Because she was sitting down, the chair only made it possible to press her head into his upper stomach. "You look fine."

Some moments passed before either spoke again, in which time they were both able to see a single tear drip down onto the photograph clutched in Hope's trembling hand. Neo merely rubbed Trinity's shoulders relaxingly, eventually breaking the comfortable silence between them.

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

Trinity firmly shook her head, reluctantly tearing herself away from him. "No, I'll be alright now. Besides, you need to sleep. You've stayed here long enough."

It took a little more coaxing before Neo finally left her alone, heading back in the direction of his room. It was only then that an idea suddenly came to mind…something that may be able to lift Trinity's spirits not only now, but whenever she needed it the most.

(o)

The chance to test his idea didn't occur for another three weeks, when Neo found himself trading shifts with Tank at some late hour in the core.

"Tank, I need you to do me a favor." He asked.

"You know I'd do it if I could, Neo." Tank replied solemnly.

"Great," The other man beamed, getting up from his seat and offering it to the operator. "first I need to know if it's possible to bring something out of the Matrix and into the real world."

"Course it is." Tank answered promptly, though with an air of causality. "Only it's difficult, and when you bring the object or program or whatever into this world, it will automatically take the shape of what it really is – no more than a computer chip which has no use to anyone. So if you were thinking of jacking in to get something, then I strongly suggest that you don't."

"Maybe it will be different for me." Neo mused aloud. "We could just consider it another test of my abilities."

"I don't know if it's such a good idea." Tank furrowed his brow. "If it were anyone else, I would physically force them out of it if I had to. But since you are the One, I guess nothing really could go wrong…"

"Thanks." Neo grinned delightedly, excitement gathering in the pit of his stomach at the prospect of jacking back in after such a long time.

Although he still didn't seem too thrilled with the idea, Tank obligingly typed in the appropriate hack as Neo sat himself back in his usual jack-in chair, then slid the needle into the back of the other man's head, sending him into the computer simulated world.

(o)

In the past three weeks, Neo had been using his shifts in the core to carefully monitor the day-to-day schedule of Trinity's younger sister, Faith. The nineteen year old led quite a busy life, as he had determined, attending collage by day, and then returning home only to head straight to the local gym, then moving off for her nightly job as a bartender, earning her scarcely a few hours sleep a night. Because of that, she was seldom home, and it was not difficult for him to find a time in which he knew the New York apartment she shared with her aging father. The greatest difficulty would be getting in and out without being tracked down by the agents, and still managing to retrieve the photograph that sat on the desk beside her computer, without causing it to transform into a useless piece of data. Hopefully, his abilities as the One would not fail to disappoint him.

Blinking the code into place and staring intently through the walls of the apartment, he immediately spied the photo resting beside the computer, just as Trinity had told him. After scanning the area for agents briefly, he made his way into the foyer and got straight into the elevator, selecting her floor button and standing back to wait.

The apartment door had been left unlocked, much to both Neo's surprise and gratefulness. At least it saved him from the bother of trying to pick open the lock, or worse, knocking down the door. Though at the same time he had to admit that it was strange. People who had spent the most of their lives in New York should be wise enough to know that leaving any door unguarded was not a good idea. Nevertheless, he wasted little time in finding his way into Faith's bedroom. Sure enough, the photo was there in its frame, surrounded by mounds of university essays. He was about to put it into his pocket, thinking that this had all been too easy, when he heard a sound behind him and turned swiftly to see a girl standing defensively in the doorframe.

Even he had to admit, Faith was more beautiful in reality (or virtual reality) than she was on the screens. She had inherited many of Trinity's features, including a pair of cerulean blue eyes, reflecting the inner strength and determination within her soul. Her lavish spools of golden blonde hair had been tied back loosely behind her ears, and there was perspiration dripping off her summer tanned skin, drenching her gym clothes and sweatbands.

"Who the hell are you?" She shouted, her voice strong, demanding and controlling. She didn't seem anything like the sweet, innocent child who had never said a bad word about anyone that Trinity had once described. Perhaps it was her father's influence, or maybe she was just simply growing up.

"Easy, now." Neo replied with an inward smirk. She reminded him so much of Trinity. "I only want one thing."

"Get the hell out of my house!" She ordered. "I'm warning you…I'll call the cops."

"Hey, listen. I don't want any trouble. I only want this." He held up the photograph he held in his hands.

"You're not taking anything. Drop it and leave, or else!"

_She certainly knows how to look after herself. _Neo thought as he tried to control a laugh. "Please. It's for your sister."

Faith froze to the spot, her face suddenly turning pale, her eyes widening. She blinked at him in confusion, and for a second, Neo almost believed that she was willing to allow him to pass without further explanation, as if she had let her guard down. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, her expression became cold again, and she turned away from him sullenly.

"I don't have a sister." She muttered darkly.

"You had two once." Neo replied blandly. "Both older. One is dead now, but the other is still alive. Stephanie."

"S-Stephanie?" She met eyes with him once more, and he removed his sunglasses, nodding in response. She shook her head firmly…gravely. "No, no, no. Stephanie is dead. She disappeared when I was a child."

"That's true. She did disappear. But she didn't die. You wouldn't know it, but she's been watching you for years now. Watching you grow into the person you've become." Faith was silent, taking in all that she heard. Neo held up the photograph again. "My name is Neo, and I…I love your big sister very much. I know this photograph would mean the world to her, if you'd only let me have it. Please, Faith."

"But if Stephanie was alive, then why didn't she ever come to see me? Sure, she might have been watching me all the time, but then why didn't she ever come back for me?"

"I'm sure she would have if she could, but she can't." Neo did his best to explain. "I'm sorry I can't tell you anymore than that. You'll just have to trust me. Blind Faith." He smiled, and for a moment he was sure he saw her smile a little too. "Your sister really still loves you, Faith. Now that you're no longer in your father's custody, then you should go back to her and tell her that Stephanie is still alive. You don't know how much that would mean to your mother, and to Stephanie as well."

Neo made for the door, but was stopped by the sharp tone in which she called out his name. He turned back to her, smiling shyly, and pocketing the photograph with the hand she couldn't see.

"Will…" She trailed away, gazing down at the floor, her face glowing red as if she were embarrassed by the question. "I mean, is there any chance for me to ever see my sister again?"

"Maybe one day." Neo answered after a reflective pause. "If you are ready to give up on believing everything you know to be true so far, and begin to question the existence of reality, then perhaps there is a chance you could meet with her again. But otherwise…I'm sorry."

When he was forced to leave her, she was standing forlornly in the center of her bedroom, staring out after him with an expression of purest grief. She almost looked like the tiny, innocent child from Trinity's stories of her past. He wished he could have told her more…wished he could reunite them again. But this was the best he could do. Now, he could only hope that she had listened to him when he told her to return to her mother.

Faith certainly was glad she had decided to return home from gym an hour early. Neo wouldn't know it until sometime later, but their first and only ever encounter would change the course of her life forever.

(o)

Trinity awoke the following morning with Neo lying behind her in sleep, his arm draped over her stomach and his lips curving into a small, secretive smile, as if he knew something she did not. Grinning to herself, she rolled over so that she was facing him and placed a gentle kiss squarely on his lips, awakening him almost instantly.

"Hey, Trin." He murmured groggily as he slowly brought himself away from slumber. Her smile broadened, and she clambered over him in order to get out of bed, rummaging through draws for a fresh set of clothes, which she pulled on over her black underwear and under-shirt. Neo continued to remain where he was, privately savoring her every movement, a sly smirk spread across his face.

"What are you so happy about?" Trinity found she eventually had to ask, while pulling a cobalt blue over-shirt over her head. She loved the way he looked in the mornings – bedraggled, warm and drowsy, with sleep still in his deepest brown eyes – especially when he would smile at her.

"I got you a little present last night." Neo said, automatically reaching beneath the pillow he was lying on to retrieve what looked like a frame. "Come here. I want to show you."

Curiously, she sat herself down on the edge of the bed, and Neo passed her the photograph, sitting up so he could better read the reaction in her face. Her skin whitened, and her eyes widened in awe. She held it out from her as if she were afraid it might blow up in any given moment, not daring to believe it was real.

"I can't be…" She said breathlessly after regaining her ability to speak. "Neo…how?"

"I brought it back with me from the Matrix." He grinned sheepishly. "Tank jacked me in last night when we were changing shifts. I went straight to your sister's room, grabbed it and then jacked out again. I know usually bringing things from the Matrix into our world doesn't usually work, but it seems to work with me. I was going to give it to you last night, but you were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you, so…"

Trinity was hardly listening, clutching onto the frame so tightly that her knuckles turned white, while using her other hand to trace an index finger across the image of each person, eventually coming to rest on her sister. She knew that she had told herself she had forgotten about them…forgotten about the days of her childhood, spent with a family she wasn't biologically related to. But as much as she tried to deny it, these people now smiling back at her were still a part of her, including the little seven year old girl who was tucked into the arms of the older sister she had idolized her whole life, grinning as if she didn't have a care in the world. That girl was still inside her somewhere, constantly reminding her that for seven years, she was part of a normal, happy family. It was the last picture ever taken before disaster struck…the only existing photo of her entire family ever being together. Now it was something she could keep, a visual image she could look back on whenever she needed to so that she could remember the way things used to be. And it was all thanks to one man.

"I-I honestly don't know what to tell you." She whispered hoarsely, and when she looked up at him, he could see a few tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. He didn't need her to say anything, as the expression on her face told him even more than what he had hoped for. Instinctively, he moved closer to her, bringing her into a low, awkward kiss, only intensified when she wrapped both arms around his neck, leaving the photo resting on her lap.

Presently, Tank's voice broke into the warming silence of the room, and though both occupants listened to his words, neither broke away from the other even for a second.

"Trinity, Neo, meet Morpheus and I in the core as soon as you're done with breakfast. We've decided to go for Tosha."

(o)

A/N: In case you are wondering, Tosha's hacker name does not need to be known to the reader. You will find out why it is irrelevant later. By the way, don't think that people who get unplugged by the Neb are gone forever. Everyone who gets unplugged will eventually serve some sort of purpose to the story (in other words, expect to see Raven again).

I haven't had a chance to edit this, so please excuse any spelling and grammar mistakes.

Thanks for reading, please review!


	32. Birthday

A/N: Okay, I know it's been an eternity since I have updated, but I have legitimate excuses. I haven't been able to get my hands on a computer for a while, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to write because I've been so busy with an overwhelming amount of schoolwork this year. Finally, when I do get a computer all to myself, and can manage to find the time to write, I end up staring at a blank page for the next half hour, lacking both motivation and ideas for how I can continue this. But now I finally have, so here it is. I don't think chapter 32 is my best, but I am pretty proud of the action sequences in chapter 33. Please tell me what you think!

32

Trinity watched Neo walk on ahead of her. She couldn't help but to notice that he seemed to bounce along the pavement with every step. There was something jaunty and somewhat carefree about his attitude that day. She figured it must be simply because he was finally getting used to being unplugged and beginning to relax a little more in his surroundings. She hurried to catch up with him, and found that even then she struggled to keep up with his sprightly, brisk movements.

"You know," Neo turned to smile at her as he continued along down the path, titling his head up to the clear blue sky to allow the artificial rays of sun to warm his face, bringing a tingling sensation to his skin. "The Matrix may be a mere computer simulation, but in a way, it's still quite beautiful. The sheer technology of it…the fact that it's been able to convince people that it's real for almost a century. It's just, I don't know." He shook his head, struggling to think of an adjective that could describe the way he felt. "Enigmatic."

"All right." Trinity replied wryly. "What's eating at you?"

"Huh?" He turned back to look at her through the lenses of his sunglasses and shrugged his shoulders, smiling. "Oh, nothing really. It's just…well, this is my second unplugging. I feel like I'm finally getting used to it…like I'm not really just the new guy anymore who doesn't know anything. I guess I'm beginning to loosen up. Am I making sense?"

_So I was right. _Trinity nodded and shot him a small smile, which he eagerly returned. It was a cool, crisp autumn day in Tosha's area. There were hardly any people about on the streets, and the only sounds were the gruff barking of the dogs in nearby houses, the occasional passing vehicle, the rustling of the brown, falling leaves and the chirping and twittering of birds resting in the low-hanging branches of the trees.

A group of teenagers cycled past them on pushbikes on the opposite side of the road, wearing baggy jeans and second-hand shirts. They gawked at the pair with crude, dumbstruck expressions pasted onto their pimpled faces. One boy couldn't tear his eyes away from Trinity, and kept glancing back over his shoulder even after they had past them by. Neo couldn't blame him – he was also having a hard time trying not to take much notice of the black latex catsuit she had taken to wearing recently. Tank had told him that, according to what Dozer had said, it was the same ensemble that Gina had worn before Amos had died.

As they knew from already searching through Tosha's records, her family owned the corner store at the end of her street. Two elderly women were sitting on a bench outside it, devouring the newspaper they had just conjointly bought. Neo would have hardly paid them the slightest bit of attention if he hadn't overheard their conversation.

"What day of the month is it?" One of them loudly remarked. "I keep forgetting, and I need to keep track so I can remember how long it is till the kids come down to visit from the coast."

"Why, it's March the 11th, dear." The other answered almost instantly. "Two weeks left before it's girl's night down at the bowling club."

Neo froze to the spot. Had he heard correctly? Was it really March 11th? He had been forgetting to keep track of the date ever since his unplugging, as it seemed so irrelevant in the real world. Trinity turned around to face him when she realized he was no longer walking beside her. Her forehead creased in confusion.

"Is today the 11th of March?" He whispered to her, reaching her side and continuing the walk towards Tosha's home.

"I think so. I'm not too sure. Why do you ask?"

"Well…" He stammered, shifting a little as though he weren't comfortable about sharing this information. "If it is March 11th…then it's also my birthday."

"…Oh." Was all she could think to say. Of all the wild responses he could have made in answering her question, that was the last thing she had in mind. She couldn't even _remember _when her own date of birth. It had been so long since she'd had to recall it. The last time she remembered anybody taking notice of her birthday was when Charity was still alive.

They walked on in awkward silence, Neo no longer springing along at a brisk pace, until they reached the small suburban house recognizable as Tosha's. She herself was waiting for them on the gate, just as arranged over the computer. Trinity had been typing messages to her from her laptop in the car, which was parked a few streets away.

"You took your time." She swung herself up off the fence and surveyed them with a blank expression.

"You must have come outside too early, then." Trinity replied densely.

"You're hackers, aren't you? Only a really skilled hacker could get past the firewalls I built up around my computer."

"My name is Trinity." She replied habitually. "And this is Neo."

"Of course. One of the best in the business." She winked. "I always suspected you were a girl, even though most people say you're a guy. So…why have you come looking for me? Do you want something from me?"

Trinity still didn't feel too sure about this. Over the past week, they had been tracking and researching Tosha's background information. The more she found out about Tosha, the more she was inclined to believe that unplugging her was a bad idea. It wasn't that she was a bad person, but more that she seemed quite happy and content within her own life. Indeed, she was a brilliant girl, extremely talented and highly intelligent. But she was quirky, and had a curious mind, which had led her to question her surroundings in the first place. It felt as if she was merely toying with the idea of challenging reality, and not really taking anything they told her too seriously. She was too light-hearted to be unplugged. It wasn't until they returned to their car, after making plans to meet with her again the following day after school, that she voiced her opinion to Neo.

"Yeah, she does seem a bit…weird." Neo answered truthfully, gripping the steering wheel and keeping her eyes on the road ahead of them. "But if Morpheus thinks that she can accept the truth, then there really isn't much more to say about it. Let's face it, he's a better judge of character than the two of us put together."

Trinity nodded grimly. She knew he was right, but she still couldn't help the strange sensations that crept up on her whenever she was in Tosha's presence. There was just something…_untrustworthy_ about her…

The problem with Tosha's location was that the nearest exit was quite a long drive away, and time wasn't a luxury they often had. With the sentinel attacks becoming more and more frequent, being in the Matrix for too long was a danger the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar simply couldn't afford. By the time they reached the phone booth that would transport them back to the ship, just over half and hour's worth of time had elapsed since they set off. Neo parked the car neatly beside the curb and stretched out his fingers so that his knuckles cracked. He turned to face his companion and smiled, though this time she didn't return it. She was gazing out into space, hardly aware that the car had even stopped.

"If you're still unsure about Tosha, then maybe you should talk to Morpheus." Neo suggested helpfully. "Ask him why he's decided to unplug her. Maybe then you'll get your answers."

"All right." Trinity replied weakly. She didn't tell him that she hadn't been thinking about Tosha at all. Her thoughts had been scattered throughout the entire trip, like a maze of complicated ideas. Though now, when she looked at him, she found herself thinking of only one thing. The shirt he wore beneath his trench coat was made of thin, spongy material that clung tightly to his frame so that she could see every outline of his chest muscles. Her hands automatically reached up and slid her sunglasses off her nose, placing them aside so that she could look at him properly. She could tell, from the expression written on his face, that he was confused by the heavy, lustful emotion evident in her eyes.

Neo had seen that particular expression on Trinity's face enough to understand what it meant. It occurred to him that Tosha may not have been what was weighing on her mind recently. He removed his own sunglasses, resting them on top of the dashboard, while his eyes roamed over her latex-clad body.

Before either of them knew it, he was kissing her, his tongue sliding into her mouth and clashing against her own in a passionate frenzy. She moved backwards, easing up against the window and wrapping both arms around his neck. It would have been much more comfortable for both if the seats were conjoined, but at this point, neither seemed to care. Neo felt his hands fall onto her hips, then slide up her body until they reached her breasts, and then met in the center where the zipper that held the catsuit together began. Only moments ago, he yearned to touch the latex material, and now he just wanted to be rid of it.

"I love you." He whispered as he pulled away from her, momentarily forgetting where he was, and what situation they were in. "And when we get back on the ship, I'm gonna prove it to you."

Trinity exhaled a low gasp at his words, which quickly transformed itself into a moan as he began to ease the zipper downwards with his hand. The clouded haziness of his eyes informed her that already he had lost all sense of control and rational thinking, and she wasn't too far behind him. She had enough strength of mind left to remind herself that she was in the Matrix, and that she was on a mission, and had a job to complete. Any form of pleasure would have to wait until their next trip to Zion. But that could be months away. They both needed this now. And as she was thinking these things her body was slowly melting below his fingers.

The shrill, sharp, ringing of Neo's cell phone was what finally brought him to his senses. Reluctantly, he pulled himself back into his seat, his cheeks red and flustered from the embarrassment of allowing himself to fall victim to his desires. He dug into the pocket of his trench coat, only to discover that his phone must have fallen out when he leaned out of his seat. After much scrambling and searching, he managed to locate it and press it to his ear.

"Sorry to spoil the moment, guys." Tank said the instant the phone was answered. "But I think you ought to know that we're ten minutes away from another sentinel attack here, and there are two Agents heading your way."

Neo hung up without bothering to make a response, and placed the phone back in his pocket, snatching his glasses and replacing them. Trinity quickly did the same, already having pulled up the zipper of her catsuit. They hurried out of the car and quickly made their way to the payphone, Trinity sliding into the booth first and pressing the ringing phone to her ear. Her RSI dissolved into nothingness, carrying her mind back into reality.

(o)

Neo burst out of his room, tugging on his over-shirt as he ran along the corridor and scrambled up the ladder to the main deck. By the time he arrived in the core, he was breathless, and yet filled with excitement at the same time.

"Sorry to wake you with that intercom message, Neo." Tank apologized. "I know you're probably exhausted after jacking in once already today, and then dealing with that sentinel attack straight afterwards, but it looks like we got a serious situation here."

"What is it?" He panted, peering in at the green coding.

"Have you met Soron yet? Captain of the Vigilant?" He hardly waited for Neo's response before he continued. "He and his crew jacked in tonight to go after someone they were unplugging and unfortunately found themselves up against a pair of Agents. I got a message over the communicator sent from their ship's operator calling for

help."

Tank needn't have said anymore as Neo had already made his way to his respective jack-in chair. In a matter of seconds, Tank had loaded him up into the system and he found himself standing on the rooftop of a city building. The night sky above him was cloaked with a thick cloud of pollution, and a light breeze tousled his hair. He walked briskly to the edge of the roof and blinked the coding into place, squinting down into the dark alleyway below him.

The man Tank had called Soron was diligent, and a skilled fighter, although he and his crew proved to be no match for agents Jones and Brown, who were clearly enjoying themselves when they looked into the pain-stricken eyes of their victims. Neo wasted no time, leaping off the edge of the building, flipping in mid air and then plunging down into the alleyway. The agents were far too preoccupied to notice him before he hit the ground with a loud thud, landing on his feet directly in between Soron and his enemy.

"Alright guys, fun's over." He smirked. The agents braced themselves, gritting their teeth in frustration, not bothering to even draw their guns, as they knew exactly what he would do if they did. Instead, they stepped forward simultaneously, one swiping at his head only to have him duck just in time. He blocked each of the following attacks almost lazily, then took a step back and tucked his hand into a tight fist, drawing it back before punching with all the strength and power he could muster.

The attack landed on Jones' jawbone. He let out a cry of both pain and anguish, opening his mouth and spitting out three of his teeth. He brought a hand up to his dilapidated jaw and staggered backwards. Not bothering to close the gap between them, Neo drew his handgun from his belt and aimed it. Because he was too preoccupied with his earlier injury, Jones had no time to dodge the bullet so it made a direct hit to his chest. Neo built up speed by running along the side of the building to his left, then finished off his opponent with a kick that landed on his neck. There was the cracking sound of breaking bones as Jones flew into the opposite building, evaporating and leaving behind him the body of a dead host.

Meanwhile, Brown had been sneaking up on Neo from behind, hoping to surprise him with a sudden attack. He would have succeeded, if it weren't for Soron, who cried out a warning to Neo, causing him to turn around and land a punch squarely in the center of Brown's stomach. He let out a low, guttural groan then staggered backwards and collapsed in a heap on the floor, defeated after only a single punch. Neo picked up the handgun he'd dropped when he turned to counter Brown's attack and placed it back in his belt, before turning to face the crew whose lives he had just saved.

"Any casualties?" He asked in his most sincere, business-like tone.

Soron gazed speechlessly at his savior for a few moments before he finally spoke. "A few bullet wounds, and a sprained wrist." He waved in the direction of the fallen. "I'm afraid we've lost those two."

"Too bad." Neo replied with sympathy. "Get the living to an exit immediately. Agents could find a new host and be back any minute."

"Who _are _you?" Soron gaped. He had never before seen a man that had been able to defeat a pair of agents with such ease before, and all on his own! Surely, he must posses some greater power that normal men did not.

"My name is Neo. I'm newly unplugged, and I serve Morpheus on the Nebuchadnezzar." He replied. "Your operator sent word that you were in need of help, so I came to aid you."

Soron was now even more confused than he had been before. This man was far too old to be newly unplugged. The Council of Zion wouldn't have allowed it. Unless…of course! Power that normal men could not posses…serving Morpheus, one of the greatest believers in the prophecy…there was only one explanation. But then, if this was true, then why hadn't some public announcement been made? Why hadn't everyone been told that the One had finally been found?

Neo had turned to go, but Soron stopped him with sharp words. If this truly was the One, then he wanted to be of help to him in any way possible.

"Wait!" He demanded. "Be sure to tell your captain that my crew and I are now entirely in his dept. If he ever has to call for aid or assistance, he can be certain that he can rely on us. I am an honest man, and you can hold me to that. I swear it."

"I will hold you to that." Neo said over his shoulder. "Thank you."

And with that, he left them to find an exit, moving along the city streets while dialing Tank to find his own.

(o)

When Neo opened his eyes to the now familiar surroundings of the real world, he expected to see Tank standing over him with a wide, toothy grin pasted onto his leathery face. Instead, his bleary vision came to focus on Trinity's bedraggled face, and he felt the weight of her hand resting on his chest. He kept his eyes locked on her own as she eased the needle out of the back of his skull as gently and as tenderly as she could manage. Even so, he winced slightly, and when he did he felt her hand stiffen, and her fingers clutch at the material of his shirt. She only relaxed them when he began to pull himself up into a sitting position.

"Man, Neo, that was freaking awesome!" Tank commented from his seat at the consol. Neo nodded in modest gratitude – he would never get used to all the attention he received from the few people who knew of his being the One. "I still can't believe that you took on both agents with only a couple of blocks, two punches, one kick and a single bullet! Now I've said it before, but I'll say it again – unbelievable! I'll bet Morpheus will be happy to hear about this when he comes to take his shift later tonight."

Upon hearing these words, Trinity and Neo turned to face one another simultaneously. Both could tell from the look in the other's eyes that they were thinking of the same thing. If Tank was monitoring the core for the first half of the night, and Morpheus the second, then it meant that they had the rest of the night to themselves.

"I guess I'll see you both tomorrow, then." Tank winked, and waved a cheery farewell. They waited until they were out of his sight before Neo slid his hand into hers, running his thumb gently over her knuckles. Her palm was warm from sleep.

"What woke you?" He asked, remembering that he had left her to sleep in their room once Tank's message had sounded over the intercom.

She shrugged, reaching their door and wrenching it open with her free hand. "I heard you get up, so I waited a while and then I followed you to the core. I wanted to see what was so urgent."

"You're not tired now, are you?" He asked cautiously. She merely shook her head in response and closed the door to their room behind them. "Good," he smiled, bringing himself closer to her and softly kissing her forehead. "Good."

She cupped his chin and brought his lips to her own, sighing as he encircled his arms around her waist, pushing her up against the steel wall. She knew that if she lost all sense of self-control, and gave in to her desires, it could be a danger to her reputation. What if Tank or Morpheus overhead them? What happened in the car only that morning had been too much of a risk. But Tank and Morpheus were taking shifts for the rest of the night, why would they need to come down to the lower deck? He was beginning to kiss his way down her neck, his hands rubbing against her hips in smooth, circular motions. Perhaps if they were quiet…then the others wouldn't hear a thing. It could be their only chance in a very, _very_ long time.

She allowed him to half-walk, half-carry her to the bed, and lay her down atop the blankets, climbing on so that he was just beside her. He guided a hand down the left side of her body until he came to her feet, then unbuckled her boot with great control and care, prizing it off her foot and dropping it to the floor with a thud. She remained motionless as he removed the other, and then both of his own before moving back to her. He peeled down the top of her shirt a small fraction so that the tops of her breasts were exposed, and kissed her until not even she could stifle a moan. It was only when he began to stroke untamed wisps of ebony hair away from her forehead with the gentle touch of his hand, that he caught sight of the anxiety in her eyes. He froze, reminding himself that for her sake, he could not let the situation get out of hand. Her reputation was far too important to her. But it was only Morpheus and Tank – what would they care? She was lying below him, the sound of her heavy breathing echoing off the surrounding walls. He loved the way she reacted to his soft touches…the way her body would become tense and rigid when he touched her in some places, and seem to melt beneath his hands in others. If he had to stop, he would do so very reluctantly.

Instantly understanding the concerned, yet pleading expression in his eyes, Trinity pulled herself up slightly so that she was almost sitting upright. At this action, Neo sighed under his breath and hurriedly removed his hands. Now, she could sense signs of disappointment he carefully tried to hide with a small smile. She couldn't help but to be flattered by the fact that he would stop himself for the sheer sake of her feelings and emotions. But he needn't have worried. Some things were more important than a person's reputation. That was one of the many things she had learnt since she had met him what now seemed like an eternity ago. She didn't speak a word, but arched her back and lifted her arms up above her head, informing him that she was willing to put her reputation aside. The smile on his face broadened, and as he gripped the hem of her two shirts and slowly began to lift them over her head, they both couldn't help but to break into soft breaths of laughter, as if enjoying their own, private joke.

He tossed both shirts to the floor, fingers trembling as they traced a pattern along her flat stomach, and then messaging the white skin of her back. She shuddered beneath him when his hand paused at the clasp that held her black bra together. He almost had it undone when an idea occurred to her, and she leant in closer to whisper in his ear just as she felt the clasp loosen, and then fall slack.

"Happy birthday." She murmured, unable to believe that those were her own words. He snorted, grinning at the sleaziness of the comment.

Trinity relaxed into the tingling sensations in her skin as he slid the flimsy garment off her chest and dropped it to the floor along with her shirts. She recalled the first time he had done that to her…how she had shut her eyes with dread…feared that he would dislike what he saw. Now, the whole ordeal seemed senseless, and she nearly laughed at the memory.

"Gorgeous." Was the only word he could think of to describe the woman before him as he lightly ran his index finger from her collarbone, between her breasts and down until he reached her navel. She shivered with pleasure.

She wasted no time in helping him to wrestle both his shirts up and over his head, but it seemed to take him an age to gently ease her drawstring pants down over her legs. He slipped both thumbs inside the hem, so that they brushed across the surface of her skin. He was being so soft…so tender with her, still concerned that she was nervous about being on board the ship. But the touch of his gentle hands only increased the yearning within her body, making it almost agonizing to wait for him to finally the last of her clothes to the floor, so that she lay completely naked beneath him.

"N-Now you." She managed to choke out, and he obliged by removing the last of his clothing with much less control than he had shown her.

It felt strange, Trinity thought, to by lying, naked, on the bed that had once belonged to her closest friend and her lover. Usually, it would have been too cold to even think of going without at least two shirts when she wasn't sleeping under mounds of blankets. Yet the room was now much warmer than it had been when she first came in. Neo hovered above her, his body warming her more than any blanket ever could. He cupped her chin and kissed her…slowly…passionately…his lips lingering on her own. She both loved and hated it at the same time. Hated it because it only made her aggravated…wanting so much more.

Neo watched, without attempting to resist, as she took hold of his wrist and guided his hand closer towards her, wriggling until she was sitting upright beneath him and then moved his palm so that it cupped her breast. It rounded into his hand – warm, full, and softer than anything he could have dreamt of. He shuddered, shivers spurring down his spine as she used her free hand to lightly trace her fingers in between the strengthening muscles of his chest, her fingernails tickling his skin. Each touch was like torture to him. He propelled his hips forwards, grinding them against her own.

Trinity had thought that taking things slowly would keep it more controlled. But she had been wrong. It was almost the opposite, as each gentle touch they exchanged only made it harder for her to stop herself from making any sound. Her entire body now ached with desire, and the pain drove right into the core of her very being. She needed him now more than ever. When he pushed his body up against his, she merely obliged by wrapping both arms around his neck, and both legs around his own, pulling him down on top of her.

He entered her slowly…carefully…cautiously, all the while keeping his eyes locked on her own. She squirmed below him, grouping at his back as tightly as she could. It took all the will power and self-control in the world to stop her from crying out his name in pure ecstasy. But she could not stop a small squeak from escaping her lips when he began to move inside of her, driving himself deeper into her body. The cure to the aching, burning sensation that had claimed her entire being.

The small sounds she made were enough to drive Neo to a state of insanity. Part of him wanted to make her moan – to break through her strong resolve to be silent. Another part prayed that this wouldn't ever happen. He didn't want them to be discovered. Not now. He pressed his forehead against hers so that he couldn't see anything but the blue of her eyes, heavy and wide. He felt nothing but the warmth around him…the warmth of the body beneath him…the sensations of what it was to be one with her. Everything warm, controlled and comfortable. He thought of nothing but the moment…heard nothing but the sounds of both of them struggling to hold in cries of pleasure.

Trinity gazed at Neo's face, tensed and flushed with pleasure. It was beautiful. The sheer sincerity of the emotions she was experiencing. Nothing had ever felt as real as making love to Neo. It made _her_ feel beautiful…worshiped…loved. She could not even begin to describe what it felt like.

Eventually, he fell and collapsed down beside her, exhausted with the strain of holding in his feelings. It made him wish for another trip to Zion, although he knew that it could be an age before that time came. He could hear Trinity panting beside him, her forehead dotted with beads of sweat. She was only half conscious by the time he gathered enough strength to pull back one of the blankets and tuck it around the two of them. He nestled beside her, feeling her body tense, and then relax. He smiled, listening to the silence of the room as he fell into sleep. This had certainly been the best birthday he had ever had.

(o)

Morpheus trudged along the corridor on the lower deck early the next morning. He had been expecting Neo to come to the core and take his shift almost an hour ago. Figuring that since Neo was usually so punctual, something must be wrong, and he had decided to go and find him.

He reached the door to the bedroom Neo shared with Trinity and tugged it open, only to snap it shut almost straight away. Perhaps it was not wise to go in and wake him, especially if he ended up waking Trinity too. He shook his head, chuckling to himself as he strolled back down along the corridor in search of Tank instead. It seemed as if they both would need a little more rest.


	33. Blue Pill

33

The following morning, when Neo woke and came to relieve Tank from the shift he was meant to take in the core, he found his companion gazing drearily at the screens. Leaning over his shoulder, he saw that Tosha was sound asleep in her bed. There was a fly buzzing around her head.

"I gotta tell you, that Tosha kid is weird." Tank remarked when he noticed Neo standing beside him. "When I was watching her last night, which was afternoon for her, she was hiding in a cupboard at the back of the classroom during a geography class. Her friends came up to talk to her by pretending they needed to sharpen their pencils. I mean, why didn't she just skip the class altogether? Did it for the thrill, I suppose…"

Neo was about to reply, but sudden movement on the Matrix screens caught the attention of both men. Tosha sat up in bed with a jolt, lifted her pillow and threw it across the room in aggravation, pointing at the fly and shouting the words 'Superior Being!'. At this, Neo burst into laughter, and when he explained what Tosha had said to Tank, he joined him.

"I've seen stranger." Neo told him quietly. "Last time I took a shift, she accused her teacher of being an 'unenlightened soul', and later, when she had to clean down some of the school desks, she suddenly threw a wet cloth across the room and called it an 'advanced mechanism'."

Tank laughed again, this time getting up from his seat at the same time and offering it to Neo. "Well, I'll leave you to it." He said. "When are you going in again?"

"After her school finishes, like we arranged yesterday." Neo answered promptly. "Then we'll take her to Morpheus."

(o)

It was a busy afternoon in suburbia. Almost everyone seemed to be out, either shopping for groceries, meeting with friends and family, or waiting to collect their children at the local school. Neo realized the instant Trinity pulled the car up in front of the school building that it was nowhere near as flash as Raven's high school had been. However, there seemed to be even more students attending for as soon as the school bell had rung, swarms of teenagers streamed out of the front doors, their clothes a mass of brilliant colour, standing out against the dull building behind them. It was easy for him to find Tosha in amongst the chaotic frenzy of shouting schoolchildren, clear and conspicuous as ever in her rainbow stripped socks hitched up to her knees, with her torn jeans tucked inside them and a hand-knitted beanie placed on top of her unkempt, mousy hair – completely in contrast with her fellow students.

He shuffled from one foot to the other impatiently, glancing over his shoulder at Trinity, who was waiting for him in the car, scouting the nearby area for any sign of Agents. He couldn't help but to wonder why the Agents had not yet discovered who their next target was to be. After all, they had been tracking Tosha for almost a week before they attempted to contact her in person (well, almost in person, anyway). They had followed the same basic procedure of unplugging, and usually by this stage the Agents already had a pretty good idea of who they were after, but there had been no sign of them thus far.

_Perhaps, _Neo pondered to himself as he waited for Tosha to bid her friends goodbye and meet him at the school gate, _they've been too preoccupied with other things to worry about us recently. After all, they have to keep an eye on every ship's activities, and not just ours. But that can't be right. They've never slacked off on their job before. Maybe my run-in with them the other night with Roland's crew has caused them to back down…no, that can't be right either. Agents always seem to be so diligent in what they do. They would never back down. Never. _It wasn't as if he were looking forward to facing them again anytime soon, but their absence unnerved him…it almost made him feel like they were planning something behind his back. He clenched his fists in irritation. _Then where in the hell are they?_

"Hello." Tosha smiled at him as she reached him, breaking through his train of thought. He couldn't help noticing the strange way she walked. It was, ironically, as if she were wondering through a dream, or had managed to reach her destination by accident.

"Hi," Neo attempted a friendly smile, then turned and beckoned her after him. "Follow me."

Trinity watched through the frigid glass of the car window as Neo led the teenage girl towards the car and held the back door open for her. What he had told her yesterday about feeling more relaxed and accustomed to his new way of life must have been true, for he appeared more confident than she had ever seen him before – even more so, than the day the two of them had rescued Morpheus from the government building in the city. She couldn't help but to feel proud of him.

As soon as everyone was seated comfortably in the car, she revved the engine, gripped the wheel and pulled out from the side of the street, weaving in with the flow of suburban traffic, being careful not to speed or to draw any attention to herself. Tosha leaned forward into the front seat, studying the way Trinity would carefully maneuver the car with expert ease.

"So, where are you taking me? I don't think anybody bothered to tell me." She questioned.

"A place where you can find answers to your questions." Trinity replied automatically, without even bothering to glance over her shoulder. She turned to face Neo instead. "Any sign of Agents?"

Immediately blinking the neon coding into place, Neo quickly scanned the area for the familiar pattern that meant Agents were in the area. He shook his head in confusion. "Nothing. It's strange…it's like they haven't even picked up on our trail yet."

"Are you sure?" She asked in perplexity. It was very unlike an Agent to keep track of what the ships were doing, especially if the One was working on board one of them.

"Hang on, what's an Agent?" Tosha asked ignorantly. "You're not talking about some sort of FBI or something, huh?"

"We can't tell you. Not yet, anyway." Neo replied professionally before Trinity even had the chance to open her mouth (not that she minded, in the least). Tosha gave him a sour look. "You know, I would if I could." He added hastily. "But I can't."

"It's ok. I know what it feels like to want to do something, but to be unable to." Tosha answered in false sympathy. "You see, I want to marry my dog, but I can't due to the boundaries set by the community. Perhaps together we can overcome the trends and expectations upheld by today's modern society."

"Right." Trinity replied sarcastically, glaring at the girl through the review mirror and raising an eyebrow incredulously. Neo spluttered, and fought to hold in an outburst of laughter. The absence of Agents was quickly forgotten.

There were a few houses on the outskirts of Tosha's district. These were old, rundown and completely abandoned by all except the homeless, seeking shelter on a darkening night. The overgrown yards were littered with trash and useless items, such as baby prams, broken televisions, old car parts and even a couch. Some community volunteers had obviously attempted to clear off the offensive graffiti scribed on the outer walls, but their efforts had been in vain. Through the broken windows, the dark interior of the house seemed to speak of a time and family long since forgotten. It was in one of these forlorn, dilapidated places, that Tosha would be introduced to Morpheus for the first time.

The house they had chosen was different to the rest, for it was larger than most of its neighbors, and much better kempt. It was a house Tosha knew well as it had been her hideout for years whenever she wanted to wag school. But somehow she knew this visit to the house would be different. There was something eerie, and rather strange about the place. It was enough to make her want to forget all about her many thousands of questions, and to simply turn and run once the car door had been opened for her.

"This is it, Tosha." Trinity told her once they'd reached the front door. "Morpheus is waiting for you inside."

"Morpheus?" Tosha gaped. "As in _the _Morpheus?"

Trinity nodded plainly as she always did when she mentioned the name of her captain to someone for the first time. She waited for an outburst of excitement that didn't come.

"Cool." Tosha replied simply, in a voice that conveyed no greater emotion than that of acceptance and mild interest. Trinity was utterly taken aback, having expected much more of a reaction than that. Tosha was definitely like no one she had ever met before.

As soon as she had disappeared inside the building, Trinity took her phone from her pocket and dialed Morpheus' number.

"We're sending her up to you." She said the instant he answered the call. "She should be arriving any minute soon."

"Good job." Morpheus replied respectfully. "I expect you had no trouble on the way?"

"No. None at all."

"Strange…very strange. All right, then. I'll call you again if I should need assistance."

"What did he say?" Neo asked her once she hung up.

"That we're to wait here until they're done."

At these words, Neo sighed heavily and sat himself down on the front stoop. Presently, and after brief hesitation, Trinity joined him. It was a warmer day than it had been the last time they had jacked in, and the atmosphere was pleasant, with the exception of the bleak, surrounding houses. Some moments past in comfortable silence before either of them thought of anything to say.

"Have you spoken to Morpheus about Tosha yet?" Neo eventually asked. His words were distant, though she knew exactly what he meant.

"I haven't had the time." She answered truthfully, gazing at the ground in deep thought. "I took a shift in the core early this morning, and last night, you know I was…well…busy." She looked at him directly, only to see that he was grinning malevolently. She smiled.

"By the way," She continued after some time had elapsed. "I saw something of interest this morning when I was taking my shift."

"What?"

"Well," She began slowly. "It seems that both Hope and Faith have decided to board a plane to go and pay a visit to my mother."

"Really?" Neo remarked, suddenly taking great interest in the conversation.

Trinity nodded. "Hope's plane will arrive about three hours ahead of Faith's. Should be an interesting family reunion since neither of them know the other is coming. What I can't understand is what possessed them to do such a thing. I mean, after all these years…well, I can understand Hope. From what I've seen, he seems to have been thinking of the past quite a lot recently. He's left his family to go and pay her a visit. But Faith? What convinced her to do something like that?"

"Well…err, Trin? I have a bit of a confession to make." Neo mumbled guiltily, staring down at the pavement. "The night I went to get you that photograph, I ran into your sister. I didn't mean to." He added quickly. "But she just turned up out of the blue."

"Oh God. You didn't tell her anything about the Matrix, did you?"

"No way. I'm not that thick." He chanced a small smile. "I only told her what I needed to. Otherwise she would have called the cops on me."

"What did you say, Neo?" She demanded.

"All I said was that you were still alive, but you couldn't see her unless she attempted to free her mind. I suggested that maybe she should go and see your mother…just to tell her that you're okay and everything. I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to interfere. It's not my business. But I just thought that, you know, it would mean a lot to your mother. And perhaps even to you."

Trinity couldn't help but to be emotionally touched by his words. She could hardly believe that anyone cared enough about her to worry themselves with the lives of her family members. That knowledge alone was overwhelming, even without the emotions that accompanied it. Finding herself left speechless, she cast him a reassuring smile, and watched the tension leave his shoulders as he relaxed. It was at that moment that the door to the house opened, and an clearly deeply disgruntled, yet also calmly faced Morpheus emerged from the darkness within. Both Trinity and Neo stood to attention immediately.

"Do you need our assistance?" Trinity asked him with a tone of formality.

Morpheus shook his head. The worn smile on his face was unusual. Neo knew at once that something was wrong. "We're finished with her. Tosha's taken the blue pill."

Behind the dark lenses of his sunglasses, Neo was blinking in shock. He gazed, open-mouthed at his captain, unsure if he had heard him correctly. Tosha had chosen the blue pill? But why? What had happened to ever make her do such a thing? Had they done something wrong?

"No, Morpheus." Trinity shook her head in denial. Never before, in all her wildest dreams, had she expected this to happen. "That's not possible."

"Of course it is possible." Morpheus replied sharply. "Why do you think we give people the option in the first place? Just for a bit of fun? Everything begins with choice, remember?"

"Yes, but…" She trailed away, completely at a loss for words. "…Morpheus, this has never happened before."

"Not to our crew. We have been fortunate. Though it does happen to others, sometimes even quite frequently. To unplug someone, you need to be certain that this person does not only have skills that can be useful to the resistance, and a curious mind, but also that they both willing and capable of accepting the truth. You have to be sure that they will chose to accept the real world. Choosing either the blue or red pill is the last test. In choosing the red pill, that person is telling us that they are ready to give everything to know the truth, and that they are mentally capable of doing so. So far, it seems, I have been lucky to have a good taste in judgment of who can do this, and who cannot. I have only made two mistakes with this before in my lifetime. The first was unplugging Cypher. Unfortunately, this is to be the second. People who chose the blue pill are often those who, although they may be curious, highly intelligent, talented individuals, are content within their current life, simulation or not. These people are quite happy to continue living as they are now, even if it means never learning the truth. It usually works out that these people wouldn't be able to handle the truth anyway, which was the case for Tosha O'Dea."

"Where is she now?" Asked Trinity, peering over Morpheus' shoulder to see if she could catch a glimpse of the girl inside.

"I offered her a lift, but she protested and said she'd rather make her own way home."

For this, all three crewmembers were secretly grateful. A long and silent car trip with Tosha would make the situation even more awkward and embarrassing for everyone involved. But even without Tosha's presence, the trip still seemed endless. Morpheus took charge of the wheel, while informing Tank of all that had happened over the phone, while Neo and Trinity sat together in the back seat and stared out of their separate windows, lost within their own thoughts.

Neo couldn't believe that this had happened, and was still recovering from the shock of hearing the unexpected news. From all that Morpheus had said, he could understand why Tosha had not chosen to take the blue pill, but he still couldn't help feeling utterly humiliated by the whole ordeal. He didn't understand why, since it was Morpheus who had made the mistake of perusing Tosha, and not he. He supposed he was sympathetically relating to the emotions of his captain. _What a waste of time, _he thought bitterly to himself, _I can't believe that we spent so long trailing after her, only to have her turn around and say she wasn't going to accept the truth anyway. We could have used that time to focus on something more important. Hell, I could have used it to think about how the hell I'm going to end this war! I'm the One. I should have noticed something…I should have been able to tell somehow. _He shook his head dismally and tried to focus on the more positive side of things. _At least I can say that I've learnt a lot from this experience, and I guess we can be thankful that no one was injured or hurt in the process of doing this. Otherwise I would have really been angry. I don't think I've ever been this frustrated before in my entire life._

Trinity, meanwhile, was not having such a hard time accepting this new revolution. After all, she had sensed something different in Tosha from the beginning. _Now I finally understand why I always thought there was something strange about her. I've dealt with enough people to know that she wouldn't want to leave the Matrix. She always seemed so happy and content with her way of life, and she was far too light-hearted to accept the truth, even if she did take the red pill. In a way, I guess things worked out for the better, even if we did waste a great deal of time. Only, I should have listened to Neo and made time to speak with Morpheus about the issue in the first place to save him the embarrassment of failure. _She shot a glance at Neo, who was gazing out of the window at the passing streets as if he were in a trance, his eyes clouded with deep thought. _I guess this isn't the best time to say 'I told you so'._

After what felt like an eternity, the car swerved to a stop across the road from the payphone that was to take them back to the ship. Morpheus hung up his phone and hurriedly placed it back in his pocket, getting out of the car without so much as a word to either of his crewmembers. After glancing at one another briefly, Neo and Trinity followed him across the street and to the now ringing payphone.

"You first this time, Neo." Morpheus gestured in the direction of the booth. "We'll follow."

With a nod of his head, Neo reached for the door of the small cubicle and was about to wrench it open when he realized that the metal was not cold against his hand, but warm and moist, like he was clutching hands with someone who was sweating. Then, without warning, the booth began to vibrate until it shook rapidly in its place. Neo drew back his hand and stumbled backwards in surprise. The phone booth was now rattling violently, and catching the attention of the few bystanders, who happened to be passing through the area at the time. The people gazed in awe as the box changed in colour, so that the entire structure looked as if it was made up entirely of neon green, falling Chinese characters. Each of them was instantly reminded of falling rain. Gradually, the phone booth began to change its shape, until it was no longer recognizable as the object it had first been. Instead, it formed the vague outline of a man. Eventually, the characters faded away into nothingness and were replaced with colour. The people gasped in bewilderment – now, standing right before them, was a phone booth that had somehow evolved into a human being!

Neo eyed the Agent in front of him with interest. He was a very short, yet well-built man, who looked as though he were much younger than his fellows. Unlike other Agents, he wore black instead of brown, and the suit clung to his body tightly, contrasting with the flaxen, paper white colour of his skin. His hair was bleached and curled, cut to perfection on the top of his head, his eyes hidden by a pair of traditional dark glasses. He smirked to himself. So this was Senesis in his true form.

"Well, look who's decided to come back from the dead." Senesis grinned as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself. When he wasn't mimicking someone else, Neo discovered, his voice sounded remarkably like Smith's used to be. "And for the second time."

"Guess I'm just a lucky guy." Neo shrugged.

"Indeed. But unfortunately for you, it seems your luck has finally run out. For you see, I have every intention of killing you _again_, if that's what it takes to get you out of the way. And believe me, I have the power to do it."

"Don't think I don't know all about you, Senesis." Neo replied boldly, although he certainly didn't feel it. He had come up against Senesis before, and knew just how powerful he could be. The problem was that he did not exactly what the expect. Senesis could not only change his physical appearance, but he could also change his technique. "The Oracle has told me everything."

"Ah yes, the fortune teller." Senesis chuckled. "If it wasn't for you, I'd say she's the most annoying individual I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. Remind me to get rid of her once I'm done with you. Oh wait," He added sarcastically. "you won't be able to. You'll already be dead."

"So they've built you with a sense of humor." Neo smirked. "Interesting."

"Just one of my many talents and perfections." Senesis said menacingly. "You haven't seen anything yet."

And with that, he transformed yet again, only this time, no replacement object was to be seen. Figuring he must have turned himself into something so small that it was almost invisible to the human eye, he blinked the coding into place and scanned the ground for any sign of movement. The anxious murmurings of the surrounding bystanders broke through his concentration, distracting him enough to make him miss seeing a tiny centipede crawl past him across the pavement.

"Neo! Behind you!" Trinity shouted as the code began to gather again from the ground. But by this stage it was already too late. Senesis's transformations were not always a slow process, and by the time Neo whirled around to face his opponent, the Agent was already waiting for him. His fist landed squarely on Neo's jaw, sending a surge of pain shooting first into his mouth, and then throughout his entire body. He could taste blood, thick and salty in his mouth, and spat it out onto the ground. The bystanders reeled in disgust. Someone screamed.

Laughing, as if it was his own, personal joke, Senesis tilted his neck to one side so that all could hear the sounds of his bones cracking in anticipation. Neo backed away, unsure of what to do, and only hoping that an idea would occur to him soon.

"Run, Neo!" He heard Morpheus shout. "Run! Run! Run!"

Obediently, Neo turned and pushed his way through the gathering people, bolting down the street in a clumsy, undirected fashion, not turning to look behind him to check of his enemy was at his heels. He kept his eyes focused on what lay ahead of him, and listened to the sounds of his rapid breathing…his beating heart…

(o)

Once both Senesis and Neo had gone, Morpheus reached for his phone.

"Tank!" He bellowed. "Get us out of here immediately."

"What about Neo?" Trinity asked anxiously, but her captain merely held up his hand to silence her for the time being. She waited until he had hung up before she voiced her question again.

"He'll be fine, don't worry. I have faith in him. We need to take care of ourselves for now."

Trinity firmly shook her head. She could not stand aside and watch him fight alone. She had already been forced to do just that when he had come up against Smith. This time she wanted to be with him.

"Trinity, you can't go with him. Believe me, you'll only get in his way. If he's worrying about you or anyone else then he won't be able to focus. That is why I told him to run."

"No." She argued. "I can't just stand around and watch him fight. I won't."

And without another word, she turned and ran in the same direction he had gone in, pushing her way through the crowd. She could hear Morpheus shouting to her…could hear him calling her back. She kept running, blocking his words from her mind. It wasn't until she reached the next block that she realized this was the first time she had ever disobeyed a direct order from her captain.

(o)

"You can't run from me forever, Neo!" Called a chilling voice coming from a source he could not see.

Nevertheless, he kept moving, concentrating on what lay directly ahead of him, and imaging an exit waited for him in the next street. He was panting, sweat was breaking out on his forehead, and his limbs were numb with exhaustion. Not once did he stop, not even to gain enough time to fly, because he knew that the moment he did, Senesis would see it as his chance.

"It's pointless, Neo!" Shouted the voice as he rounded the corner into the next street. "You know I'll always be just one step ahead of you."

As if to confirm this, Senesis appeared right before him, a wide smirk stretched right across his face. It was the last thing he remembered seeing before feeling a fist, with the strength of all the steel in Zion, plunge itself into his stomach. He could feel vomit rising up in his throat, but hurriedly chocked it back, staggering backwards before lunging towards his foe with an uncoordinated punch. By this stage it was already too late, and Senesis had disappeared yet again. All that was left was the sound of his ringing laughter.

Stumbling forward lamely, his vision blurred and hazy, Neo sprinted onward, clutching a hand to his stomach. He couldn't understand it. Why didn't Senesis finish him now? Why hadn't he bothered to strike again after the first punch? What thoughts were running through his vile, twisted mind? It made him sick just to think about it. Without being able to stop himself, he lurched forward and vomited all over the pavement.

(o)

The sun was setting over suburbia so that the rooftops of the large houses were tinged with a pinkish hue. Most of the streets were now empty, save several children, who were still pedaling about on bikes. Senesis looked upon the scene with disgust. These humans truly were pathetic, their minds as weak as the flesh in which they were imprisoned in. He spat on the road with pure repulsion.

Neo – mankind's savior and protector – was now running from him with terror. What joy it was, to know that one was close to finally achieving their main purpose. To have the One himself reduced to such a sorry state that he had been sick in this very street, was more than what his predecessor could have ever hoped to achieve. He looked upon it as his greatest accomplishment. He knew full well that he could kill Neo at any time he wanted now, with next to little effort. But where was the fun in that? He almost felt appalled to admit it, but Neo was the single, greatest challenge he would ever face. Why not enjoy the moment while it lasted? But still, he was wise enough to realize that right now, he had Neo just where he wanted him. He didn't want to make the mistake of having _too _much of a good time, and then allowing his enemy time to recover. No, it was best to finish it now.

He was about to set off again when he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. It was her. Trinity. Neo's weakness. He chuckled slowly to himself, pulling his glasses further down his nose so he could get a better look at her. Yes…this would turn out to be much more interesting than he had ever thought it could be.

(o)

Neo may have been the One, but he still remained invariably human. And no human could stand running such a distance in such a short amount of time, without even breaking to regain their breath. Eventually, he could take it no longer, and collapsed onto the pavement, gasping for air that didn't really exist. He couldn't remember a time in which his body had felt this weak and vulnerable before in his entire life. His mouth tasted of his own blood and vomit, and his stomach ached like something uncontrollable. His legs were so numb that he couldn't even feel them anymore, but he knew that when the feeling came back into them, they would be sorer than all the pain he already felt put together. And this pain would only be doubled when he returned to the real world. _If _he ever did return to the real world.

He took off his sunglasses and wiped the sweat away from his forehead with his left sleeve. He knew that Senesis was somewhere nearby – he could feel it in the cold evening air. But he didn't have the energy to try and fly away from him. He didn't think he even had the energy to stand up. At least, that was what he though until he saw that Senesis was not alone. When he finally rounded the corner into the next street, Neo was on his feet in a matter of seconds. All of his pain was forgotten the instant he saw Trinity struggling in Senesis's binding arms, with Senesis himself holding a gun to her temple.

"Hello, Neo." He smiled, and it was even more unnerving than when he smirked. "We just seem to keep running into each other, don't we?"

"Let her go." Neo grunted through clenched teeth.

Senesis howled with laughter. "I just thought I'd make things a little more interesting. What? Don't you find this all so exciting?"

"Let her go." He repeated, only much louder than before. White anger seared through his veins, and he clenched his hands into fists. What part did Trinity have to play in this? She wasn't the One…she was no threat to him…why, then, would he see fit to kill her? _Probably for the sheer thrill of it, _he thought to himself, _And that thought is just so revolting that I think I'm going to be sick again._

"Your face is turning green." Senesis commented. "Hmm…this should be interesting. I wonder what he'd rather do? Watch her die, or die himself?"

Neo gazed at him blankly, for he did not understand. What did he mean by 'watch her die, or dir yourself'? It didn't matter. Either way, they were both going to die unless he found the courage to do something…anything. If only he could find the strength…

Trinity watched on anxiously from her captive's firm grasp. _Go, Neo, _She pleaded inside her mind, hoping that somehow he would hear her, _just go. Fly away, and let him kill me. You're more important to the resistance. They need you, Neo! Go!_

In amongst his confused and mingled thoughts, he caught sight of Trinity. Her usually cold, hardened blue eyes were now swelling with emotions…anxiety…fear…love. But still, they were strong, filled with strength immeasurable in any way…filled with power unequal and more profound than any other. He had found his strength. He could feel it building up inside of him…merging with all the rage and frustration he had felt during the course of the day.

"I said let her go!" He shouted, and before he knew what he was doing, he lunged forward and landed a punch right in Senesis's stomach, just where he had hit him before.

Behind the Agent's sunglasses, his eyes were wide with surprise. Where had the energy come from? Why was he no longer sick and exhausted? What were these futile human emotions he could see lurking in his opponent's eyes? He had been wrong to toy with these emotions, he could see that now. Why, oh why, had he allowed himself to become so absorbed in his own arrogance?

Neo wasted no time. As soon as Senesis has loosened his hold on Trinity, he snatched hold of her wrist and set off at a run again, focusing on pushing away the laws of the Matrix at the same time. Before he knew it, they were soaring vertically into the sky, with her held safely in his arms. The wind tousling his hair and breezing through his fingers was enough to make him want to laugh. They had escaped…they had really escaped!

It was then that he realized his phone was ringing. Trinity retrieved it from his pocket and held it to her ear as he continued to fly aimlessly above the clouds.

"It's about time you answered." Tank breathed with relief. "I've been trying to contact you both for ages but no one was answering their phone."

"Well, we were a little preoccupied." Trinity replied defensively.

"I haven't noticed." Said Tank sarcastically. "But I needed to get a hold of you as soon as possible. We're two minutes away from another sentinel attack and there nearest exit to you both is miles away."

"Shit!" Trinity muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Tank and Neo to hear. "Tell us how to get there and we'll see if we can make it."

"It doesn't look hopeful, but Morpheus and I can hold them off until you get back."

"Alright. I'll tell Neo."

"Hurry, Sis."

Trinity hung up and placed the phone back into Neo's pocket, understanding that there was no time to dwell on Tank's strange manner of addressing her.

"What is it?" Neo asked worriedly.

"Another sentinel attack in less than two minutes. We need to get to the nearest exit. Fast!"

She gave him the directions, and soon he was speeding through the clouds, as fast as his body would allow him to. But he knew he wasn't moving fast enough. At this rate, they wouldn't reach the exit in time. He tried to focus all his energy into his body, urging it forwards almost desperately. However, he was already feeling exhausted and weak after his battle with Senesis, which made it difficult to find the strength to push on. When they eventually came to the place in which Tank had described, he hurtled down towards the ground, landing on the pavement with a heavy thud and setting Trinity gently down beside him. Together, they sprinted towards the ringing payphone, Trinity reaching it first and pressing it against her ear. Neo watched as her RSI dissolved into nothingness before following suit when the phone began to ring again.

(o)

When he opened his eyes to the core, the first thing he saw was Trinity standing above him, a pained expression in her eyes. Though she remained firm and in control, he could tell that something troubled her. He could hear the sounds of sentinels screeching in the distance.

"Now, Morpheus! Now!" She shouted, at the same time pulling the needle out from the back of his head. A blinding white light seeped into every level of the ship. Neo snapped his eyes shut and felt for Trinity's hand, finding it and squeezing it tightly until the light had faded away. Once the EMP blast had evaporated, leaving five dead sentinels in its wake, Neo sat up slowly, now feeling the full impact of the pain left on him after his battle with Senesis. He gazed around him at the mess the sentinels had left behind them – cords and wires pulled out of their sockets after having only been repaired for a few months. But what caught his full attention was the consol, where Tank was sitting, his head bent forwards and resting on the keyboard so that his face was hidden from view.

He wasn't moving.

(o)

Hope you liked the last two chapters. Request and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks for reading, please review!


	34. Kid's Story

A/N: Yes, I know! I didn't want to kill off Tank either. But it couldn't be helped, because as we all know, Tank does not make an appearance in the Matrix Reloaded, and therefore the viewer assumes that he died sometime between the end of the Matrix, and the beginning of the Matrix Reloaded. Anyway, thank you for all being so patient with me. I'm sorry I can't update as quickly as I used to. So without further ado, here is the next chapter!

Iridescent Eyes: Thanks for your request. I shall see if I can fit a ' family reunion' scene into later chapters.

34

Neo reached his room, finding that he was almost too exhausted and weak to even pull open the door. When he had first returned to the real world, all he could think about was that his whole body seared with unbelievable pain. Almost three hours had passed since then, but it felt like his battle with Senesis was an eternity away. Now, every inch of his body was numb to everything but the throbbing of his head, the beating of his heart, and the internal pain he felt that could not be cured with simple pills and injections. Pain that was as deep as the core of his heart.

Trinity watched silently as Neo stumbled into the room, allowing the door to close behind him so he could lean his weight against it. She didn't even need to see the pained expression on his face to know what had happened. The moment she had returned to the Matrix, she knew instantly that Tank was dead. That was why she hadn't gone with Morpheus and Neo to the Med Bay to check Tank's body for any remote signs of life. She had already faced the horrifying experience of tending to a dead crewmember too many times to want to suffer through it again.

"Is he…?" She asked him nevertheless. Neo swallowed, then shook his head tightly in dismay. His face was still pale with shock. Without saying another word, Trinity motioned for him to sit beside her on their bed. He sat by her left side and rested his head on her shoulder with pure exhaustion.

As she wrapped trembling arms around him, holding him against her, he reminded her of an innocent child once more. But she had little time to dwell on this as the harsh reality of the situation came crashing down upon her the instant she felt his heavy head against her shoulder. Tank was dead. No longer would he be sitting diligently in his chair in front of the consol. No longer would he be eating with them in the Mess Hall, cracking jokes and sometimes making inappropriate remarks, but always finding a way to lighten her mood. She had never thought about what the real world would be like without him. Everything would be different…strange…surreal…hardly even a 'real world' at all.

Neo was still in denial. No! Tank couldn't be dead…he refused to believe it…refused to accept it. Tank had been there since the beginning, ever since his first day in the real world. He had been his first friend. It had been different when the rest of the crew had died all those months ago. To him, they were only comrades and companions…people who could sympathize with him when he first came into the real world. He never had the chance to get to know them in the way Trinity did. But Tank…Tank was like a brother to him. He could never accept Tank's death.

Morpheus only bothered to knock on the door once, then barged into the room without waiting for a reply. He didn't give so much as a thought as to how the pair were sitting. Neither Neo or Trinity attempted to move, too exhausted and too emotional to care about what their captain thought. Morpheus's face was cold and tight with bitter pain as he surveyed the pair through clouded eyes.

"How are you Neo?" He asked, in a tone that did not belong to him. It was cracked and hoarse, and yet conveyed no emotion at the same time.

"Fine." Neo managed to choke out, although it was clear to all that he wasn't either physically or emotionally stable at the present time.

"We need to get out of here as soon as possible." Morpheus continued. "I'm going to start repairing the ship tomorrow. The sooner you both are ready to help, the better."

With that, he turned on his heel and marched out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Trinity felt her heart go out to her captain, who was usually such a compassionate, peaceful person. She knew that he was only acting in this way because of the grief and, possibly, the remorse that weighed heavily on his conscience.

"Let's get some sleep." She eventually whispered to Neo, who obligingly pulled himself away from her so that she could pull back the blankets on their bed. They stripped down into their usual sleeping attire, and climbed into bed so that Neo lay behind her, with one arm draped across her stomach as usual.

Although he was still exhausted from fighting with Senesis, many hours past before Neo finally drifted into a troubled sleep. A sleep plagued with dreams of all the faces he had seen that day. Senesis…Morpheus…Trinity…Tank…and even the bystanders who had gawked at him during his battle with Senesis. But the clearest face of all was the face of a woman. An older woman, with a kindly face, short, stringy red hair and vivid blue eyes that were brimming with tears as she wept silently and mournfully…

Trinity, however, stayed awake much longer than Neo had done. Her mind was forever swarming with thoughts she could not put to rest, even with the comfort of his arm around her midsection. She had experienced so much loss throughout her life both in and out of the Matrix. So much, in fact, that grief had almost become a regular occurrence, and a continual part of her life. That was why she had been able to come to terms with Tank's death so quickly, even though he was just as important to her as Charity or Switch had been. She sighed heavily and found Neo's hand beneath the blankets and squeezed it, knowing that since this was the first time he had ever experienced real grief, he would be in a state of denial for some time. Where as Morpheus would suddenly become hostile and reclusive until he finally accepted that Tank's death was not his fault.

_How sad is that? _She thought to herself in a state of self-pity. _I'm so used to losing people that I can predict the reactions of others when faced with the death of someone they care deeply about. How pathetic._

It was almost their usual waking time when Trinity finally fell into sleep.

(o)

Neo managed to get through the next week by behaving as if he were in some sort of trance. He spent three and a half days lying in bed and recovering physically from his battle with Senesis, while Trinity and Morpheus worked on the ship. During this time, he allowed his mind to wonder as far away from reality as he possibly could. The best way to do that, he discovered, was to escape into his dreams.

With the passing of every night, his dreams seemed to become more and more disturbing. He always dreamt of the same red-haired woman, but gradually his dreams began to reveal more and more about her. She worked on a ship…a ship that crashed and was destroyed on impact, taking the lives of everyone on board. He could see her crying and screaming…see the blood pouring down her face.

He didn't mention these dreams to anyone. In fact, he hardly spoke to anyone at all. When he was fit enough to get out of bed, he focused all his energy on repairing the ship, not once allowing his mind to wander. He stayed as far away from the Med Bay as he could, knowing that Tank's body lay within. He barely spent anytime in the Mess Hall, either. Being there reminded him of all the meals he used to eat with Tank…all the conversation and laughter he would much rather now forget.

Trinity did her best not to interfere with his emotions, even though he was obviously trying to ignore her most of the time. She knew that now he needed to be alone with his thoughts if he was ever going to come to terms with Tank's death. When he was finally ready to talk about it, she would be there to listen.

Trinity tried not to think about her own grief too much. Like Neo, she pushed all memories of him out of her mind during the course of the day, and thought only about her work. It wasn't until she reluctantly settled down to sleep in the late hours of the night that she allowed her mind to wander. She had so many memories of Tank. As she lay there, she would recall their first meeting when she arrived in Zion for the first time…how she instantly had liked him. All the occasions when she had shared a meal or a drink with him and the rest of his family. The hours spent with the rest of the crew in the Mess Hall, where he would make jokes and brighten everyone's dull mood. But most of all, she remembered spending time with him and Switch…how he would constantly taunt and tease her about Neo, even after she eventually gave into her feelings.

One night, as she lay awake in the dark, a very distinct memory came to mind. The very last time she had ever spoken to Tank, when she was held safely in Neo's arms and soaring over the sky. He had said something to her that she would never be able to forget. Two simple words that changed how she would see him now and forever.

_Hurry, Sis…_

Sister. He had called her his sister. She had always felt welcomed and included when she was with Tank and his family, which was why she and Switch always used to spend plenty of time with them in Zion. The way he had said it was so casual, despite the urgency in his tone. He may not have even meant it in the way she thought he did. If he was still alive, she would have asked him, but now she guessed she would never know.

She felt tears begin to swell up inside of her and silently spill down her cheeks as she pulled the blankets up around her more tightly. Before he died, Tank had managed to give her one final gift. He had taken her in and officially welcomed her into his family.

(o)

Because of the damage done to the consol, Trinity never was able to witness her 'family reunion', but what she did know was that 'hope' had returned to her family in the form of her older brother, who had lived up to the expectations of his name. Although her mother, Felicity, was still psychologically damaged from all the trauma of her past, it must have been clear to all that the return of two of her children, and the news that a third was still alive and well, was the greatest hope for her recovery. She had been allowed to leave the hospital and live with Hope and his family, on the condition that she frequently see doctors and psychologists so she could continue to heal. Faith returned to New York and her father, but exchanged addresses with her brother so they could stay in touch.

This brightened Trinity's mood significantly. Her broken family had come together once more, and she had also been welcomed into another. She wanted to tell Neo about what had happened, but thought better of it. He certainly wasn't in the mood for a cheerful discussion.

The damage done to the ship was not as great as it had been the last time, and within two weeks, the ship was almost fully repaired. There were only a few loose wires on the lower deck, and three broken engines left to fix. Neo, who still felt the need to be alone, volunteered to work on the lower deck while Morpheus and Trinity repaired the engines in the cockpit. After an hour of working in awkward silence, Trinity finally spoke.

"It wasn't your fault, you know." She said as calmly as she could.

Morpheus's hands froze on the engine he was repairing, though he kept his gaze on what he was doing. When he made no reply, Trinity continued.

"I know your probably thinking that Tank died because of your decision to unplug Tosha, which didn't really work out anyway. You think that he would still be alive if we didn't jack into the Matrix that day upon your orders. But you can't predict the future, Morpheus. There was no way you could have known what was going to happen."

"I know that, Trinity." The captain eventually answered, without looking up. "But when there is no one else to blame except a bunch of sentinels…all you can do is blame yourself."

"Well, you shouldn't." Trinity replied. "Not anymore. Tank's death was horrible, and it's had a great effect on everyone. But you need to let it go. Focus on all the good memories you have of Tank. That's how I dealt with the loss of the rest of our crew."

"I still haven't even fully recovered from that first experience." Morpheus sighed. "We had a good crew, Trinity."

"I know, Sir." Trinity rested a hand comfortingly on her captain's shoulder. "I know."

(o)

Neo had the dream again that night, only this time it was much worse. He did not just see the woman as usual. He became her. He saw everything she saw…felt everything she felt, both physically and emotionally. He watched as her crewmembers were slaughtered around her, falling victim to the crash. He heard her scream as pieces of heated metal caved in all around her, slashing through her skin. The pain was unbelievable. And then there was no pain at all. Everything was numb…he could no longer hear any sounds. He knew he was dying…

He awoke with a cry of panic and fear, sitting up in his bed with a sudden jolt. The blankets were sticking to him with sweat.

"It's ok, Neo. Calm down." Trinity whispered as she sat herself up beside him. She had been roused from sleep by his constant tossing and turning, and watched with concern as his forehead broke out in a sweat. She attempted to wake him, but he didn't respond. He had been mumbling something inaudible to himself until he suddenly sat up with a scream.

"Tell me what happened." She demanded worriedly, sliding a hand up underneath his shirt and gently massaging his back. She felt his body slowly begin to relax, and his breathing returned to normal.

"It was a dream. That's all." He finally told her. "But it felt so real…"

"What did you see?" She whispered to him softly, the sound of her voice soothing him even more.

"For a while, I've been dreaming about this woman." Neo felt her hand stiffen on his back when he said this. "She and her crew crash their ship and there's some kind of inward explosion. I keep dreaming about her dying. And every night, the dreams get worse."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked him, sounding somewhat irritable, although her hand had gone back to massaging his back. Neo merely shrugged, for he truthfully didn't have an answer to her question. He guessed it was because he simply hadn't been in the mood for talking.

"Do you think it has something to do with…" Trinity paused and inhaled a deep breath before she continued. "…with what happened to Tank?"

Neo felt his body grow tense again. He didn't want to talk about Tank. Not now. Not ever again. "I don't know." He answered her bitterly, flopping back down amongst the blankets and bringing her with him. "I think the dreams started on the night he died, if that's what you mean."

They lay together in silence, both staring into the other's eyes and unsure of what to say. After a while, Trinity brought her hand to his cheek and he closed his eyes to her touch. He would never be able to describe how it felt just to be close to her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked him. Neo didn't answer her directly, but began to speak nevertheless.

"I never even imagined what the real world would be like without Tank." Neo said. "I guess I always just expected him to be here. Now, everything seems so quiet and surreal."

"I know." Trinity replied with a small smile. "Sometimes when I'm in the Mess Hall, I half expect him to walk in and brighten my mood in the way he always does."

"He didn't deserve to die." Neo could feel the anger rising inside of him with every word. "It's Senesis' fault. If he hadn't shown up we would have jacked out much faster, and Tank would still be here. But it was Tosha's fault we were in there in the first place, and she didn't even chose the fucking red pill! It was all for nothing! No, it was Morpheus's fault for even considering unplugging her in the first place."

"It was no one's fault, Neo. Morpheus couldn't predict the future. He didn't know Tosha would chose the blue pill. And how could Tosha have known that we were in danger of sentinel attack? She was only doing what she thought was best for her. As for Senesis…I'm sure he'd be delighted to know that Tank is dead, but I'm certain he didn't plan for it either. And you can hardly blame a mindless sentinel drone for doing what it was programmed to do." Trinity explained rationally. "But you were right. He didn't deserve to die."

"Apart from you, Tank was the best friend I ever had." Neo replied angrily. "He was like a brother to me. I have a right to be angry."

"Of course you do." Trinity reasoned. "We all have a right to be feeling emotional right now. Do you know what Tank said to me right before he died?"

"What?"

"Sister. He called me his sister. I know it doesn't seem like much, but…" Trinity trailed away, searching for the right words. "…but after everything I went through in the Matrix, it's sort of nice to know that somebody considers you part of their family. That you belong somewhere…if you can understand."

Neo froze, realizing that because of all his grief, he had forgotten to even consider how Trinity was feeling. She had been even closer to Tank than he was, and she had already dealt with so much loss in her life. Now she had lost both of her closest friends in equally horrible ways. She probably had been wanting someone to talk to, and all he could do was think about himself. He had never felt so guilty and selfish.

"Trin…I'm so sorry –" He began, but was cut off almost instantly.

"It's alright, Neo." She whispered, and leaned forward to kiss him softly on the lips. "We'll get through this together."

He wrapped both arms around her and she settled into his warm embrace, realizing just how tired she felt. Neo rested his head on top of her own, feeling her soft strands of ebony hair tickle his cheek.

"You know, you don't just have Tank and his family." Neo said to her sometime later. "You belong with me as well, just as I belong with you."

But Trinity never heard him say this, as she was already sound asleep.

(o)

"Sorry to wake you, but there's something I think you should see." Morpheus told Neo as he and Trinity entered the core a while later.

Morpheus had been sitting in Tank's chair at the consol, taking the nightshift and monitoring for sentinel attacks, when he used the newly repaired intercom to summon both Neo and Trinity to meet him in the core.

"What's up?" Neo asked as he and Trinity leaned over Morpheus's shoulder and peered at the neon coding.

Morpheus had zoomed in on an image of none other than Senesis, who was sitting alone in an isolated room, typing away frantically on a laptop computer and grinning malevolently to himself.

"Senesis…" Neo whispered confusedly, raising an eyebrow in question. "What the hell is he doing?"

"I'm not so sure." Morpheus replied. "It looks as though he's been trying to hack his way through some firewalls. I haven't ever seen any data like the kind he's bringing up now. And this is the first time I've been able to locate him. Most of the time, he's taking on another form and staying in hiding."

"It must be a trap." Trinity concluded. "He's trying to lure Neo into the Matrix so he can finish him off. The fact that we got away from him last time must really be getting under his skin."

"Certainly, it is a possibility." Morpheus added. "But what if he's trying to get into Zion's mainframe? Maybe he's found a way to get around the codes. He's a much more intelligent Agent, after all."

"But then, why can't he hack into the mainframe in disguise?" Neo argued. "Why did he change back into his original form?"

"Maybe it was the only way to get past the firewalls, I don't know." Morpheus shrugged. "But even so, I want you to jack in and see if you can put a stop to whatever he's doing."

"You want Neo to go after him again?" Trinity asked in surprise, trying and failing to mask the fear and anxiety in her tone.

Morpheus solemnly shook his head. "I want Neo to jack in and use a computer to trace Senesis, not physically attack him. If it is a trap, then it won't be so hard for Neo to pull out quickly if he stays near an exit." Morpheus swiveled around in the chair to face Neo directly. "Do you agree?"

Neo nodded and gingerly made his way to his usual jack-in chair. Truthfully, he wasn't in the mood for tracing Agents and hacking into computers, but he did his best to put his own feelings aside. While Morpheus typed in the appropriate codes, Trinity went to Neo's chair and clutched his hand in her own, a gesture that informed him that she was worried for his safety. He didn't blame her after what happened the last time he came up against Senesis, and had to admit that he was somewhat afraid himself.

"Don't worry." He whispered to her reassuringly. "I won't even go near him. I'll be miles away on a computer, remember?"

Trinity nodded, though he could see that she was not convinced. However, there was no more time of reassurance, as the needle was inserted into the back of his skull, and he was launched into the construct.

(o)

"So what's he up to, Neo?" Morpheus asked him over the phone.

"I'm still not completely sure." Neo admitted, resting his cell phone between his ear and shoulder while he used both hands to type on the laptop that had been uploaded with him. "Like you said, the data isn't like anything I've ever seen. But I can tell you he's definitely not trying to worm his way into Zion. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he wasn't really trying to do _anything_."

"That's something to be thankful for, at least." Morpheus replied. "Maybe it was a trap, and he's waiting for you to burst in on him. Alright, then. Get to the exit immediately."

"Yes, Sir." Neo was about to turn off his computer when he caught sight of something in the corner of his screen. "Hold up."

"What now?"

Neo didn't answer, as he was entranced by what he saw on the screen. He had been too preoccupied with tracing Senesis to notice that someone else had been tracing _him_. At first, he figured it was probably some teenager trying to hack into people's computers for a bit of fun, but when he read the message the person was posting out to several computers in his local area, he wasn't so sure…

_Somebody please tell me why it feels more real when I dream then when I am awake._

_How do I know if my senses are lying to me?_

Neo was stunned, unsure of what to do. Morpheus was still on the phone to him, awaiting a response to his question. Should he tell his captain about the message? Something inside of him told him that it was best to keep this private.

"Some kid is trying to hack into my system. That's all." Neo said as carelessly as he could. "I'll just get rid of them and be out soon."

"Hurry up, then." Morpheus hung up, and Neo replaced the phone in his pocket before answering the question as cryptically as he could.

_There is some fiction in your truth, and some truth in your fiction._ _To know the truth, you must risk everything._

The kid, or whoever it was, took their time in replying:

_Who are you?_

_Am I alone?_

Neo stopped himself, realizing that he may have taken this a step too far. He quickly shut off his laptop without making a reply, and then headed straight for the nearest exit.

(o)

It didn't take Neo very long to track down the kid when he returned to the real world. After offering to take the rest of Morpheus's shift, he scanned the area where he had just been, and located a teenage boy, wearing his pyjamas and sitting in front of the computer in his bedroom. He had minimized the window with their conversation on it and was running a search for hackers, as if he were hoping he would stumble across the name of the person who hacked into his computer. He came across Morpheus's name, and Trinity's, and oddly enough, his own as well.

Neo remained transfixed to the screen as the sun began to rise over the small terrace house in which the kid lived. He watched as the boy dressed and prepared himself for school, using his lip-reading skills to learn all he could about him. He discovered that the boy's Matrix name was Michael Karl Pauper, and he lived only with his mother and attended the local high school. According to his mother, he was failing every class, which was typical of someone on the verge of being unplugged. Their mind was too preoccupied with other thoughts to really be focused on school, which had been the case for both Raven and Tosha.

Watching Kid reminded Neo of normality. Kid was so average…boring even, or at least that was how it did appear on the outside. Even so, Neo couldn't help watching him. He was getting the feeling that something was about to happen…something not so good.

He was watching the kid skateboard to school when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around in his chair abruptly to see Trinity staring over him, watching the code.

"Have you been watching him the whole time?" She asked him, although her tone of voice made it sound more like a statement.

Neo nodded, not even attempting to deny it. "He's just some kid. Tried to hack into my computer when I jacked in earlier today. He was asking me some questions that I couldn't help answering."

"You should have just ignored him." Trinity replied, slightly irritated by his actions. _God, I really hope he hasn't said too much this time._

"I know. But he was asking good questions." Neo recounted the short conversation he had with Kid, and when he finished, Trinity seemed much more relaxed.

Trinity knew that now was not the time for unplugging anyone else. They had to get back to Zion as quickly as possible in order to bring Tank's body back to his family, and couldn't waste any time training someone new.

"I'll watch him for a while if you want." Trinity offered. "But you know we can't unplug him just yet."

"I know." Neo replied, understanding that they needed to take Tank back to Zion as soon as possible. Besides, he didn't think Morpheus would want to be unplugging people so soon after what happened with Tosha.

"Trin?" He ventured. "Look, I'm not really tired. I'll take part of your shift for you. I want to keep an eye on him."

"Why?"

Neo shrugged his shoulders. "I just get the feeling that, you know, something might happen. Something bad."

Trinity nodded, knowing by now that Neo had a knack for picking up on things, and that usually his predictions of people were right. But instead of returning to her shared room with Neo, she decided to remain in the core with him, keeping her hand on his shoulder and squeezing it occasionally.

Together, they watched as Kid reached his high school and made his way to his first class – English. Trinity had to admit that she was surprised when he scribbled Neo's, Morpheus's and her own name absent-mindedly during the lesson on a blank page in his notebook. Neo explained that Kid had been running a search for hackers all morning. It was strange, Trinity thought, that Kid should only remember those three names so clearly. Perhaps they should consider unplugging him before they returned to Zion.

"Oh shit." Neo muttered when he zoomed out of Kid's school and caught sight of a black Agent's car approaching the large building. "How the hell did they know about Kid?"

"Maybe Senesis noticed you were trying to hack into his system and find out what he was doing, so he hacked into yours and saw your conversation with Kid." Trinity suggested the most logical explanation. "Now he's sent Jones and Brown off to get him."

"We can't let that happen." Neo said firmly. "I'll have to call him. We have no choice. We'll have to get him out."

He grabbed Tank's headpiece and dialed the number for Kid's cell phone. The boy nearly jumped out of his seat with surprise when he heard the phone ringing in his backpack. His English teacher put down his chalk and marched across the room to yell at him. Kid muttered an apology, reached into his bag and switched the phone off.

"Damn it!" Neo shouted in aggravation.

"There isn't much time." Trinity warned. "You'll have to bend some of the program rules and call again."

Neo frantically typed upon a few keys and tried calling again. The phone rang, even though Kid had switched it off. This time, he was too shocked to listen to the teacher and answered it instantly.

"They know you know." Neo said urgently, wasting no time now that the Agent's car had pulled up outside the school. "Get out. Get out now."

The English teacher slammed his hands on Kid's desk to get his attention, but Kid hardly cared about him anymore. He hesitated only a moment before leaping over the school desks, climbing out the window into the hall and sprinting to his locker to retrieve his skateboard. The Agents were right behind him.

"Trin, load me up." Neo ordered, and Trinity did as he said. In a matter of minutes, Neo was soaring through the sky towards Kid's school, holding his phone to his ear.

"He's a good skateboarder…good balance." Trinity dictated what she saw on the screens to Neo. "Now his English teacher's after him as well…wait, he just tripped him over with his skateboard…he's in the girls bathroom…climbing out the window and up the side of the building…oh no! Agents are already on the roof waiting for him."

Neo increased his speed and flew towards the school as fast as his body would permit. But he wasn't fast enough.

"You better hurry up, Neo. Oh God, he's going to let himself fall!"

He arrived at the school just in time to see Kid hurtle towards the earth from the very top of the four-story building. He winced just as Kid made impact with the harsh earth, but instead of dying, Kid's virtual body burst into neon coding that faded away into nothingness. He had completely disappeared. Neo hovered above the clouds and out of sight of Jones and Brown.

"Shit, where did he go?" He spoke into his cell phone.

"I don't know." Answered Trinity, sounding just as bewildered as he felt. "He just disappeared into the air."

"That's impossible!" Neo searched for an explanation but found only one. "Maybe he got himself out…somehow. Can that even be done?"

"I've heard rumors, but I've never actually witnessed it. Apparently, it takes a special kind of person to do something like that. I'll run a scan and see if I can find him. You better get yourself to an exit before Senesis turns up."

"Alright." Neo replied after she gave him directions, then turned round and flew away without the Agents ever knowing he was there.

(o)

"You should have alerted me immediately." Morpheus told both Neo and Trinity once they had located Kid and brought him into the ship.

"We're sorry, Morpheus, but there was hardly any time." Neo apologized. "It all happened really fast."

"It doesn't matter now." Morpheus sighed. "The two of you will tend to him in the Med Bay until he wakes up. It will take three and a half days to reach Zion from our current location. We start moving tomorrow."

Neo hadn't been near the Med Bay since Tank's death, not even to get medical supplies to cleanse his wounds after his battle with Senesis. Trinity had taken that task upon herself. He did his best not to look at the tightly bound body, resting in the very corner of the room, and kept his focus on Kid, who was very weak, brittle and completely bald.

"He's one scrawny kid." Trinity remarked as she wrapped a blanket around his body and lay him down on a medical bench. "His muscles have atrophied even more than yours did, Neo."

"But he'll be ok?" Neo asked in concern, as Kid stirred and his eyelids slowly began to flutter open. For some odd reason, he couldn't help but feel especially protective of the kid…as if he was his own brother.

"Well, his vitals are stable." Trinity replied, checking the numbers on the machine she had just hooked him up to. "He's going to make it. It's strange, though. I've never witnessed self-substantiation before. I didn't think it was possible."

Neo looked at her over his shoulder and smiled. "Apparently it is."

"Neo…" A feeble, hoarse sounding voice brought their attention back to Kid, who was gazing up at them with blurred vision. There was a small smile quivering on his lips. Much to Neo and Trinity's surprise, he looked anything but afraid. And how did he know that it was Neo who was standing over him?

"It's alright, Kid." Neo said soothingly. "You're safe now."

"I knew…you'd save me." He struggled to speak.

"I didn't save you Kid." Neo smiled as he leaned in closer to him. "You saved yourself."

(o)

The following day, while Kid was still recovering in the Med Bay, the Agents officially pronounced him dead, by cause of suicide. They found the body of some other boy and claimed it to be his, even burying him under a tombstone that read 'Michael Karl Pauper'. Neo supposed it was better that Kid's mother believed him to be dead. It was better for her to know the true fate of her son than to think he ran away and to be guessing what had happened to him for the rest of his life.

To make sure that she would be ok, however, Neo had Morpheus load him into the Matrix so he could attend the funeral and follow Mrs. Pauper home. That way, he could tell Kid for certain that she was fine…or as fine as a mother who believed her only child had killed himself could be.

Towards the end of the funeral, he overheard two of Kid's high school teachers discussing his death to one another. He almost laughed aloud when he heard what the English teacher said.

"Well, he's in another world now. Make no mistake about that."

_You don't know just how right you are. _Neo thought to himself as he proceeded to follow Kid's mother towards her home. He watched her take a taxi to her house, and hurriedly step inside the front door. Once she was gone, he suddenly remembered something. Kid had left his computer on when he went to school yesterday morning, which meant that their conversation was still sitting, untouched, on his computer screen. Quickly, he took out the laptop that had been uploaded with him and hacked into Kid's computer to answer his question:

_Am I alone?_

_You are not alone._

Neo smiled to himself as he turned off the laptop. "Not anymore."

(o)

A/N: Thanks for reading, please review!


	35. Revelations

Jasmine: Yeah, Trinity is a bit more emotional in this story than she is in the movies, but it if I didn't make her express some emotion every now and then, than she would be a pretty irritating and boring character, and her relationship with Neo wouldn't be as strong. I figure that she's all cold and unemotional when she's with other people, but different when she's with Neo and the few other people she's close to. Besides, there is a bit of a change in her personality between Matrix and Matrix Reloaded, and I had to justify that in this fic. But thank you for your advice, and I'll do my best to make her a little less emotional in later chapters

Trinitylozhki: Thanks for your awesome review! You're right, some of the technical side of things is a bit off now that I think about it, but I needed to bend some of the rules of reality here and there to make this story flow, if you can understand me. I'll try to make it more realistic from now on, but considering that I don't know much about hacking and all that kind of thing myself, it will be difficult. Let me know if anything of the kind happens again. Also, I didn't know that Trinity had a relationship with Ghost! That came as a shock to me! Are we talking a love relationship or more of a friendship, because if it's love, then that will completely throw me off. Please reply to me in your next review and I'll do my best to interpret the Ghost/Trinity thing into later chapters.

Thank you to everyone else for their amazing reviews! I feel really privileged to be able to know that what first started off to me a very insignificant, minor project of mine has reached so many people, and so many of you actually like it! I don't think words could tell you just how grateful I am to all of you!

Anyway, I've delayed you long enough. Here is the next chapter!

35

"How are you feeling, Kid?" Neo asked as he stepped into his old room on board the Nebuchadnezzar for the first time in months.

Kid was sitting just as Neo had on his first morning on board the ship – with his back pressed against the wall and his arms wrapped around his legs. He looked up and smiled broadly as Neo entered the room. _Strange, _Neo mused, _for someone who only found out the truth yesterday, he certainly seems very calm._

"Actually, I'm a little cold, and these shirts are kind of itchy." Kid pulled up the sleeve of his over-shirt and scratched his arm to stress his point.

"You'll get used to the clothes and the weather in time, trust me." Neo said, an expression of curiosity gracing his face. He sat himself down on the bed beside Kid before he voiced his question. "Um…do you mind me asking how you can be so calm in a time like this?"

"I know!" Kid exclaimed with enthusiasm and delight dancing in his dark eyes. Neo almost fell off the bed in surprise. "It's hard to stop myself from screaming. I mean, can you believe this? Can you believe this is really happening? I've never felt so alive before."

"But…don't you feel confused or depressed? You just found out your whole life was a lie, for crying out loud." Neo struggled to keep a normal tone.

Kid snorted. "Yeah right. Like I'd ever want to go back to the way things were. For once in my life, things actually feel _real_." He beamed. "Besides, it isn't as if I had anything to look forward to in that life. I was failing school, I had no real friends, my mother's an unemployed, high school dropout and my father's a total dick."

"Whoa." Neo said, dumbfounded, as he tried to think of something to say in reply. "You're a…bizarrely honest kid."

"It doesn't matter now." Kid shrugged. "I'm out now, and I can leave that all behind me. I'm free, and it's all thanks to you, Neo."

Neo was left completely speechless. Never before had he met someone quite like Kid. He was so chirpy and optimistic all the time, and didn't seem to keep any secrets from anyone. And as he found out later, completely idolized Neo even though he had no idea he was the One. He remembered what Trinity said about it taking a special kind of person to achieve self-substantiation. There was no doubt about it – Kid definitely was 'special'.

"So…what's next?" Kid asked eagerly.

"What do you mean, 'what's next'?" Neo questioned.

"Well…shouldn't we get out there and do something now? You know, be saving the world one person at a time?" Kid pulled a face.

"You've been reading too many comic books, Kid. It's not like that," Neo retorted. "We arrive in Zion in two days, and since I'm the one who found you, I'm the one who has to train you."

"Train me? How?"

"You'll see." Neo jerked his head in the direction of the open door. "Follow me."

Kid was more than willing to do so.

(o)

"He certainly is strange." Trinity commented to Morpheus as the two of them watched Kid and Neo training inside the construct. "Ever since he arrived on this ship, he hasn't let Neo out of his sight."

"Neo hasn't told him about the prophecy yet, has he?" Morpheus asked worriedly. "That could be why he's following him around."

"He's only told him the bare minimum. No details." Trinity replied without taking her eyes away from the screen. "But even so, he seems to have latched onto Neo like there's no tomorrow."

"I guess he's just staying with who he feels most comfortable with." Morpheus suggested an explanation. "We all like to hold on to what is comfortable to us when everything around us is changing. It's part of human nature."

"Still, he is beginning to get on my last nerve." Trinity admitted, having grown accustomed to having Neo to herself most of the time. Morpheus smiled to show he understood.

"Well, luckily for you, you won't need to see too much more of him. We arrive in Zion in sixteen hours. Neo told me earlier that he wants to ensure that Kid has a room with Raven at the academy. He thinks it will be easier for Kid if he knows someone who is familiar with the same things as he is." Morpheus couldn't resist a grin. "I think Neo's become quite fond of him."

(o)

Kid's face was alight with excitement and anxiety as he followed Neo up the ladder to the main deck on the morning they were due to arrive in Zion three days later.

"Man, this is exciting. I'm actually going to see the last city of mankind!" He exclaimed joyfully to his companion. "Bit of a bummer, though. I'd rather stay here with you, Neo."

"Well, maybe when you finish the training program, you can work for Morpheus." Neo suggested sarcastically.

"Really?" Kid replied, his eyes wide with delight.

"No." Neo smiled at him over his shoulder as they reached the main deck. He tossed his bags to the floor in front of the ship's entranceway, gesturing for Kid to do the same just as Trinity and Morpheus emerged from the cockpit.

"I wish I could have been in the cockpit with you guys when you landed the ship." Kid sulked as the steel wall began to automatically lower itself, transforming into a ramp. Neo's smile broadened as he remembered just how he was feeling as he waited for that same ramp to lower and he could have his first glimpse at Zion.

"Maybe some other time, Kid." Morpheus replied, smiling now too. For some reason, it had never been formally decided that Kid's name should be 'Kid'. Since he had first called him 'kid', the name seemed more natural to Neo, and seemed to have stuck. Both Morpheus and Trinity had decided to follow his lead.

"He certainly is one extroverted kid." Trinity had remarked just a day ago when Neo had asked her what she thought of him. "He kind of reminds me of a younger version of Mouse – just as talkative. And he won't leave you alone for a second, as if he already knew you were the One."

Neo did admit to her that he thought Kid was a little strange. He once asked him why he remembered his name over all the other hackers he had researched that night after their conversation. Kid had merely shrugged and said that the name was stuck in his head, and the person he was chatting to simply 'sounded like someone who would call themselves Neo'.

Although he found this slightly unnerving, Neo had to admit that he had become quite attached to Kid, as irritating as he may be. He felt protective of him, like he was his older brother, and he enjoyed being around someone so inquisitive and positive after all the grieving that followed Tank's death. Because Kid hadn't known Tank, it was good to be around someone who didn't know what had happened. It was clear to him that both Trinity and Morpheus felt the same as well.

As the ramp touched the floor of the dock, and the circular dome came into full view, Neo caught Trinity's eye and smiled, realizing that this would be their third trip back into Zion together. It felt as though years had past since then, and he thought of all that had changed in such a short space of time, and all they had been through together. It was as if he always left Zion one way, and would return again later in an entirely different mind, with a different perspective and more wisdom then he had when he had been there last. Like he was a completely different person every time he returned.

Trinity watched the expression change on Kid's face with mild amusement as they stepped off the ship and moved along one of the suspended bridges after briefly speaking to one of the men who would tend to the ship. At the same time, however, she couldn't help noticing that several workers who wouldn't normally give them a second glance were now pausing to gaze at them, whispering amongst themselves and pointing to Neo, expressions of either awe, disbelief or scorn printed onto their faces as they watched him. Neo was unaware of this as he was too busy talking to Morpheus and watching Kid, and Trinity decided not to say anything until they reached the elevator, lest she make him feel self-conscious.

"Did you notice anyone staring at us when we were at the dock?" Trinity whispered to him, her voice barely audible over Kid's ramblings.

Neo shook his head, confusion evident in his eyes. "I didn't notice anything. Were they really staring?"

"Whispering and pointing as well." She added. "It was as if you were some kind of…."

"Some kind of what?" He asked her, watching as her eyes grew wide with realization.

"Some kind of celebrity." She finished, gazing at him worriedly.

"Oh God." Neo gaped as he came to realize what she meant. "You don't mean that –"

He didn't have a chance to finish his sentence, as the doors to the elevator suddenly sprang open, and they stepped out into the crowded streets beyond. The now familiar sounds of the constant chatter and laughter that filled the warm streets of Zion was almost droned away completely as people began to recognize Neo and point to him, just as they had done at the docks.

"That's him! The guy with Morpheus!" Someone cried. "That's Neo – the One!"

As crowds of people began to close in around him, Neo glanced around him wildly for a path of escape. For one, brief moment, he locked eyes with Morpheus, and saw a mixture of confusion and fury written on his face. People were closing in around him like a sea of colour, bombarding him with questions that he couldn't possibly answer.

"Is it true, Neo? Are the rumors true?"

"Why weren't we told before?"

"Neo, my son is dying. Will you bless him for me?"

Neo mouthed at them speechlessly, unsure of what to say amongst the sea of questions blended in together to the point in which they were almost inaudible. All the different faces…some glancing at him scornfully or doubtfully, others with eyes alive with joy and admiration. He wasn't sure which he resented more. He wanted them to leave him alone, but at the same time his heart went out to each and every one of them.

Trinity stood rigidly at his side, desperately wanting to help him but realizing that she was powerless to do anything. She was trying to stay close to him, though it was hard with the people surrounding them wanting to push their way to the front. Anger began to swell inside of her as she kept her eyes on his pale, almost frightened face. _Who told them about Neo? The Council? How dare they even think of doing something like this without talking to Neo about it first?_

Suddenly, a distressed Councilor Harman pushed his way in through the crowd towards them, eyes alive with both concern and tension as he beckoned the entire crew of the Nebuchadnezzar after him, his voice barely audible above the surrounding crowds.

"Come to my office." He ordered them. "Follow me."

(o)

"What happened back there?" Morpheus questioned when they eventually found their way to Harman's office through the sea of gawking people, most of whom had approached them with a flurry of questions. His voice had risen slightly, indicting that he was just as infuriated about the situation as Trinity. "Why does everyone know about Neo?"

Harman sat calmly at his desk, surveying the small crowd of people that filled his office. Neo was slumped in his chair, his head hung and the colour drained completely from his face, with an enraged Trinity and Morpheus sitting on either side, and a confused, newly-unplugged boy he had not yet met loitering in the background and listening in on the conversation with curiosity.

"The Council haven't the slightest idea how this happened, Captain, I assure you. But somehow, word has gotten out that Neo is the One." He explained. "I believe the rumors started to spread about four weeks ago, until everyone in the city knew and the Council was forced to make an official statement. We knew this would happen when you returned, and I wish there was some way I could have prepared you for this reaction. I'm sorry it came as such a shock."

Trinity longed to shout at Harman, although she knew that it wasn't his fault. Besides, it wasn't right to speak to a Councilor out of turn, let alone to shout at them. Instead, she slid her hand onto Neo's lap beneath the desk, finding his cold, clammy hand and taking it in her own, gently squeezing his fingers. Neo breathed in deeply, trying to calm his racing heart as her touch brought comfort to his entire being. He would never be able to express just how grateful he was that she was with him right at that moment.

"Do you have any idea who started the rumors?" Morpheus questioned, the rage in his tone now replaced with concern.

"We were hoping _you_ would." Harman smiled weakly, turning his attentions away from Morpheus and to Neo instead. "Neo, can you think of anyone outside of the Council who knew that you were the One?"

Neo swallowed, trying to push all thoughts of what had just happened out of his mind so he could think clearly. When he eventually spoke, his voice was so soft that it could barely be heard. "Well, there's Tank's family…but they knew they weren't supposed to speak about it. There's also the Matron and some of the doctors at the hospital."

"Also sworn to secrecy." Harman interrupted. "They signed a contract. I would be very surprised if any of them broke it, as they were the most trustworthy and highest-ranking members of Zion's medical staff."

Neo nodded in agreement as another thought came to mind. "There's also Lorena. I don't know how she found out, but she seems to know about it."

"Speaking of Lorena," Harman spoke before Neo had a chance to try and explain who Lorena was. "there's something I ought to tell you, Neo. A girl by the name of Vivianna wanted me to let you know that you should see her about this Lorena person as soon as you can. But this is hardly a matter to discuss right now." He said, cutting Neo off from making a reply. "We need to think about how we are going to deal with this situation for the time being. Captain, what do you propose?"

"I believe it is only fair that Neo make some public statement to the people." Morpheus suggested, much to Neo's inward protest. The thought of addressing the entire city made him feel physically ill. "That way, he'll be able to answer most of their questions and there's less chance of him being bothered with publicity."

"I agree, and so does the rest of the Council. We have already discussed this matter and we think this is the best thing to do. We didn't expect this to come out yet, but I suppose we were only delaying the inevitable. Only now, none of us are prepared for the reaction of the general public. I believe it will eventually calm down a little, although from now on, you must remember that you've virtually lost your private life, Neo. There will always be people in Zion who will approach you with challenging questions or unbelievable requests. You'll just have to learn to live with it. It's part of being the One."

Neo understood what Harman meant, but he still wasn't thrilled with what he was saying. Constant publicity…little privacy…people coming to him everyday with problems he couldn't fix…others judging him, and scoffing at his every move. He didn't think he'd be able to take it.

"I'm certain the Council will request a hearing with you soon." Harman continued when Neo made no reply. "But I doubt they'll be able to tell you anything more than I have. For now, I suppose there's nothing more you can do than wait for the Council to send word. How people found out about this is irrelevant. All we wish to discuss is what needs to be done from here."

"Thank you, Councilor." Morpheus nodded in gratitude, placing a hand comfortingly on Neo's shoulder before standing and leaving the room, beckoning a bewildered Kid to follow.

"You ready?" Trinity asked once they had left, squeezing Neo's hand gently. He shook his head, but stood nevertheless, allowing her to lead him out of the office and into the crowded streets beyond.

(o)

Baskets filled with gifts and offerings were constantly being placed outside their door, and Trinity was certain there were a few people loitering about in the corridor each time she opened the door to bring them inside upon Neo's request. He didn't like having them sitting outside in the open, as it made him feel even more embarrassed by the whole affair than he already was.

He had always hated attention, which came hand-in-hand with his fear of public speaking. But this went far beyond all of his worst nightmares put together.

"All those faces…" He whispered hoarsely to Trinity as they sat together on their bed. "…like a sea of colour. All staring at me as if they _expect _something of me…like there's something I should be doing or saying. I don't think I could take it all the time."

"You're going to have to, Neo. They know now, and there's nothing we can do about it." She wished that she had something more to say to him…wished there was a way to take away all of his stress and self-doubt. "We're just going to have to cope with it."

Neo nodded glumly. "I know all that. But it doesn't make living like this any easier. From now on, every move I make will be watched and judged by people who couldn't have cared less about me before."

Trinity hadn't felt this helpless since the deaths of Switch and Apoc. She hated being the bystander, and watching as he struggled to deal with so much inward stress and turmoil. It made her feel frustrated, and that frustration was turning into anger.

"Well, what do you want me to say, Neo?" She suddenly shouted at him suddenly, surprised at the sound of her own voice. "There's nothing I can say or do that will make it all better. I wish I had all of the answers to your problems, but I don't. It's making me feel so helpless."

They sat in stunned silence, gazing into each others eyes, unable to believe what Trinity had just said. Neo felt horrible and selfish for unintentionally making her feel as if he was turning to her for answers to his problems, when really all he wanted was for her to be with him.

"I don't want to fight." He said quietly after some time had passed, not daring to look her in the eye as he spoke. "Not now…not when I really need you."

Trinity immediately felt ashamed of herself for shouting at him, as it was obviously the last thing he needed at the moment. All he needed was for her to support him. Her eyes filled with sympathy as she placed her hand gently on his thigh.

"Don't feel like you need to have all the answers." He continued. "I'm the one who should know what to do about all this. I wish I was more confident."

"You don't need to be. You're the One, but that doesn't mean you need to know what to do in every situation. Your job is to end the war, not to sense things that are going to happen in advance, or to solve every conflict. You don't have to be perfect."

Without so much as a second thought, he put both arms around her neck and embraced her tightly, a mixture of complex emotions overwhelming him. Trinity was right – he shouldn't expect so much of himself, although it was hard not to when an entire race was depending on you. And now everyone knew who he was…now he would have to live with constant publicity, putting an end to all the peace and privacy he had enjoyed so much before. But as Trinity had said, he would just have to learn to cope with it. Nobody had ever told him that being the One was an easy task, after all.

(o)

After a brief hearing with the Council, in which he was told nothing more than what Harman had said to him before, Neo decided to find Vivianna, but not before returning to his room to tell Trinity where he planned to go.

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" She asked worriedly, thinking that it would be best if he remained in their room for a while – at least until things started to die down.

"I'll be fine." He reassured her. "There's no point trying to hide, because I'm going to have to address them soon anyway."

"When?"

"Tomorrow night. The Council want me to make a formal statement to the people, just saying that I'm the One, or something, at a temple gathering they're arranging." Neo paused to take in a breath of air, still sickened at the very thought of giving a speech. "I'm still not sure what I'm going to say, but I think I'm just going to improvise, and make it up as I go along. Writing a speech will make it even more nerve-racking."

Trinity nodded to show she understood. "Come back soon then."

He headed towards the hospital first, figuring that they would be able to tell him where Vivianna lived if she wasn't at work, and did his best to ignore those who stared at him, and said as little as possible to others who approached him.

"Vivianna is tending to some patients with the Matron." The woman at the front desk informed him while eyeing him suspiciously. "I'll let her know you're here if you want to wait."

"Thank you." Neo mumbled, not at all keen on standing around in the open waiting room. Luckily, it wasn't long before Vivianna came rushing towards him in her white nurse's robe, her face flustered with excitement.

"Good to see you, Neo." Vivianna said with a small smile. The expression on her face told him that there was something more she wished to say, but was holding it back for the time being. He guessed it had something to do with his being the One.

"Councilor Harman said you wanted to talk to me about Lorena." He said, lowering his voice before he continued. "Did you check her medical files?"

"We can't talk about this here." Vivianna replied hastily. "Come with me."

She silently led him into an elevator, up to a higher level and down a corridor until they reached an empty, single ward. Quickly, she pushed him inside, stepping in behind and shutting the door after her.

"It's safe to talk here." Vivianna explained. "This room is pretty out of the way, and I doubt we'll be overheard."

"Good." Neo leaned against the wall as she lowered herself into a chair beside the bed. "So, did you manage to check the files?"

Vivianna nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I did. I was helping Matron sort through some of the files and I came across Lorena's. I managed to catch a glimpse inside, which was more than enough for me to store it in my memory. The page tells me that she's a Zion-born, and that her mother died quite some time ago, caused by a spreading infection that she refused to get any treatment for. Other than that, everything seemed pretty normal."

"Really?" Neo asked in confusion. "No other problems?"

"Not health wise, no." Vivianna answered. "But I trusted you when you said something was up, so I decided to go and meet her for myself by using the address that was written on the paper. I spent some time with her…just talking and stuff…eventually she blurted something out to me."

Vivianna cleared her throat, dark eyes welling with emotion as she searched for the right words. "Lorena's being raped. Not just once. It's been happening for a while, up until the point where she's almost been driven to insanity."

"Holy shit." Neo exclaimed, hardly having expected her to say something like this.

"I know. I didn't expect it either, until she started saying that she was his prisoner, and that she didn't know what to do. I told her to report it to the Council, but she refuses to let me say anything to anyone else."

"Did she say anything about the guy? His name?" He prompted.

"She refused to tell me that either. But I do know that it's still happening even now, and it's, literally, making her go insane. If she doesn't get help for it soon…well, I'm terrified of what it will do to her mental health." She paused, as if contemplating her next sentence before standing and moving closer towards him. "I asked her about you, and she admitted that she'd been asking you for help. When I asked her why, she told me it was because she'd overheard someone say that…that you were the One."

Neo suddenly remembered the first time he had ever seen Lorena, in the Mess Hall, while he and Trinity were sitting with Tank and his family. Link had mentioned that Neo was the One, and Lorena had continuously turned around to stare at him throughout the course of the meal. Like many other people, she had hoped that he would somehow miraculously find an answer to her problems.

He had been so engrossed in what Vivianna was telling him that had momentarily forgotten about his own problems with publicity, which seemed so trivial now when compared to Lorena's constant suffering. But still, he couldn't help but wonder if Vivianna had been told he was the One, and then had been the one who unintentionally started the rumor by sharing it with some of her friends. He knew that if this was true, then it could hardly be her fault, but even so, she was a friend whom he both trusted and respected, and it would hurt to know that she was the cause of adding additional stress and anxiety to his life. However, he didn't believe it was the right time to ask her.

"I know it must be hard for you right now…dealing with all this publicity on top of everything else. I mean, you must already have so much to think about, without wanting to worry about other people and their opinions of you. And now you've got Lorena to think about as well…I suppose it's all just too much."

"Vivianna –" He began, but she cut him off before he could finish.

"Neo, I wanted to talk to you about Lorena…but there was something else I've been meaning to say." She gulped, blushing as she took another step towards him and placed a trembling hand on his sleeve. Her long waves black hair fell over her shoulders, and her brown eyes glistened with an emotion that was familiar to him, and yet unfamiliar at the same time.

"W-When I met you that day in the hospital, I-I felt really connected to you, like we were meant to be friends or something." She stammered. "I just want to let you know that I'm here for you, a-and that I really care about you."

Neo wanted to tell her how thankful he was to have her as a friend, but never had the chance. After only hesitating briefly, she put her arms around his neck, and her lips were touching his before he even had a chance to stop her. Gasping in shock, he pulled away from her instantly, moving slightly to the side so he could step back. She looked at him in surprise, as if this was the last thing she expected him to do.

"What the hell are you doing?" He demanded.

"What do you mean?" She said timidly. "I don't understand. I really like you, Neo. I thought that…that…"

"No!" Neo shook his head firmly, and began pacing back and forth in front of her. "No, no, no!"

"You mean you couldn't tell?" Vivianna continued with a nervous laugh. "I thought it would be obvious from the day we met. I was worried you'd think I was desperate or something, the way I was flirting with you. I even tried to tell you a few times, but it never seemed like the right moment."

_And now is the right moment? _He thought angrily to himself. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't believe he hadn't seen it. The way he felt as if she was better not knowing about his relationship with Trinity…the way she would blush sometimes when he smiled at her…the way she always wanted to spend time with him.

"Look, Vivianna…I told you last time I was here that I'm already in a relationship with someone." Neo put an end to his pacing and said this as gently as he could.

"I know that, and I've spent a lot of time thinking about it…trying to get you out of my head. But I can't, that's the problem." Her voice rose higher with every word until it was barely distinguishable as her own anymore. "I even risked my future as a nurse by breaking the rules to get Lorena's file, and it was all because of you. It's weird, because I don't know why I like you so much. I just do. In fact, I think I'm in love with you."

The words echoed off the surrounding walls, sounding surreal and leaving a deadly silence in their wake. Neo was unsure of what to say, for he knew himself just how difficult it was to admit something like that. He didn't want to hurt Vivianna, but it seemed as though he didn't have any other option.

"You don't love me, Vivianna, you only think you do."

"No! It's not like that! It's different with you." She argued feebly. "I've had relationships before, Neo, but you're the first person I've ever met who I feel connected to."

"Vivianna, I'm really sorry." It almost hurt him to say it to her, for the look in her eyes was so full of hope. "I love Trinity, and that's not going to change."

_I love Trinity. _That was the first time he remembered ever saying those three words together. It was the first time he had ever actually told anyone else that he loved Trinity. And even though he knew that he shouldn't be thinking this way at a time like this, he had to admit that it felt pretty damn good to say it.

"I just thought…I mean, I hoped…" Tears were brimming in the corners of her eyes. He wanted to hug her, but he was afraid to do it. Instead, he shook his head sadly once more before turning and hurrying out of the room.

(o)

A/N: This was an establishing chapter, to give everyone a taste of what is to come. I wanted to get to the resolution of most of Neo's minor problems out over the next few chapters, and I thought it would be interesting as a writer to explore Neo's mental state over the next few chapters as he tries to deal with Vivianna, Lorena, and most importantly, the people of Zion and his being the One all at the same time. If anyone has any suggestions on ways in which I will be able to convey the way Neo is feeling at this point, or suggestions on _how _you think he should be feeling right now, the advice will be much welcomed!

Thanks for reading, please review!


	36. Burning

A/N: This is a short, romantic chapter with not one, but two sex scenes in it! I figured that since I have been neglecting to write romantic scenes and get more involved with the plot in recent chapters, I decided to write this to make up for all of it.

A big thank you to everyone who reviewed last time, especially to TrinityLoki for helping me with dealing with Neo's emotions (Your review really helped in the early part of this chapter – so thanks a lot!). Therefore, the first part of this chapter is dedicated to TrinityLoki.

The second half of this chapter is dedicated to Skipper, who requested a sex scene in a review sometime ago. As promised, I have finally gotten around to fitting it into the story. Enjoy!

36

As Neo hurried away from the hospital and back towards his room, he struggled to try and ignore the constant throbbing in his head. There was so much for him to think about…it was all just too much…enough to make his head hurt so much that he feared it would burst. He wished he could simply get back on the ship with Trinity and Morpheus and fly away, leaving all his problems behind him. It was odd that he now resented the city, because before he arrived in Zion that morning, he had seen the place as his sanctuary…the one place in all the real world and the Matrix where he and Trinity could truly be together.

Trinity……how was he meant to tell her about what just happened between himself and Vivianna? He distinctly recalled the last time she had suspected he and Vivianna were more than friends, and how she had reacted. So what would she say if he told her Vivianna had tried to kiss him? He couldn't deal with a fight now…couldn't stand being separated from her when he needed her the most. But would he be able to keep everything a secret from her forever? He had never kept anything from her before, and he was worried that keeping this from her would tear at him inside.

Then there was Lorena as well. All this time he had thought that she was suffering from some mental illness, and she needed medical help. But it was more than just that. Someone else was touching her…hurting her…making her go insane. He couldn't begin to image what that must be like. She refused to alert any proper authorities, but she had gone to him hoping that he would perform some kind of miracle and make all of her pain go away. He only wished he had the ability to do something like that. But in reality, there was nothing he could do. Even if he managed to find the person who was doing this to her, the pain would still be there. He couldn't just wave his hand over her and make it all disappear.

By the time he reached his room, he was feeling physically ill from thinking about Lorena. He wanted to push it all out of his mind, but he couldn't stop himself from thinking about it. How much she was suffering…how incapable he was of helping her…

Trinity was waiting for him in their room, having showered and changed into her usual Zion attire. She watched him with concern as he approached her, instantly noticing the lack of colour in his face. He looked as though he was just about to throw up.

"What's the matter?" She asked him worriedly, her blue eyes alive with anxiety. "What did Vivianna say?"

Neo felt his heart stop in his chest. Looking at her now, he was suddenly reminded of when he had first started to fall in love with her…how he felt his stomach churn every time he looked at her. In his eyes, there was nothing on earth that was more beautiful than her. How could he ever tell her about Vivianna? He opened his mouth to speak, but found that he chocked on his own words. He didn't want to talk to her right now. He wanted to hold her, and to reassure himself that he wasn't alone.

Neo took several steps towards her and rested his head on her shoulder. Trinity nearly fell back in surprise, as she had been expecting a verbal reply to her questions. Realizing that he didn't want to talk at the current moment, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and held him against her. She could tell that something else was troubling him, and she believed it had something to do with Lorena. As curious as she was to know what Vivianna had said, she inwardly decided that now was not the time to be asking questions.

Whatever she had said, it had obviously upset him, because he hadn't been this bad when he left their room a little under an hour ago. She wanted to make him forget all of his problems, even if it was only for a short while……

"Trin, I – " Neo murmured. He was about to tell her that he didn't feel like talking, but she cut him off before he could finish the sentence.

"I want to make you forget everything." She whispered softly into his ear. "I want you to forget everything that's happened in the last few hours. I don't want you to worry about your problems again until tomorrow."

Neo pulled away from her slowly, his dark, soulful brown eyes blinking at her in confusion. She allowed a small smile to creep onto her face when she saw the look in his own as he suddenly realized what she meant. Carefully, he brought a hand to her cheek, feeling the softness of her skin against his moist palm.

_She's always been there for me. _He thought as he looked into her eyes. _Whenever I really need someone, she's always here. Ever since day one in the real world. What on earth did I do to deserve someone like her?_

He kissed her slowly…softly, alerting and heightening all of her senses, as if he were waking her up after she had been asleep for a long time…reminding her of how fresh and alive she felt when she had first been unplugged from the Matrix all those years ago. Things she didn't think were possible for a person like herself to ever feel. She wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing her body closer to him, and heard him gasp suddenly as it intensified the kiss.

Before he knew it, he had parted her lips with his tongue and traced along the insides of her mouth, his tongue clashing with her own. He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, pulling her body as close to his as possible. When he pulled away and began to kiss down along the side of her neck, she moaned deeply in the back of her throat. The sound was enough to set him on fire. All thoughts of logic and reason were gone, replaced by the passion and intensity that had filtered throughout the entire room.

Trinity felt as if her body had been set on fire…as if there were a flame burning at the core of her entire being. Neo had never kissed her like this before. It was almost as if he were trying to prove something to both of them…_prove _just how much he loved her. Each and every kiss he placed along the side of her neck was laced with uncontrollable desire and passion. Slowly, she lowered her arms down to his waist and slid her hands up underneath his shirt. The firm muscles beneath were tightened with tension, carrying all the stress and anxiety he had felt over the past few hours. She pressed her fingers into his skin, massaging him gently.

He groaned, his hold tightening around her waist as he lifted her onto one of the nearby benches in the kitchenette. They were moving much faster than usual, he noticed, though he barely thought of this at all. By this time, all he wanted was to be closer to her…to make love to her. He let go of her briefly and grasped hold of the hem of his shirt and assisted her in easing it up over his head and tossing it to the floor. He was about to do the same to her, when she stopped him by taking hold of his upper arms and pushing him away slightly. He pulled away from her, eyes filled with confusion, and was now able to see all the lust and desire written on her face, tinged with a hint of what he would have thought was surprise.

"Neo…" She whispered hoarsely. "….not here."

He nodded, immediately understanding what she meant, and wrapped his arms around her small, feminine waist, kissing her softly before lifting her off the bench. Trinity smiled at him seductively, taking hold of his hand and leading him towards the bed.

Having not had the time to change from the clothing he wore on the ship, Neo took the time to remove his boots before lying down amongst the sheets. He embraced her with his arm, pulling her on top of him so that she could plant a soft row of kisses down the side of his neck. He did not try to fight against the deep, yearning sensations that were brewing beneath the surface of his heated skin. He had been fighting them long enough. Instead, he gave into the flame that she had ignited in the very core of his being – feeling himself become aroused as he grasped hold of the hem of her shirt, assisting her in easing it up and over her head.

"I've missed you…." He managed to choke out as he ran is fingers delicately across the soft skin of her breast. "…missed this."

He felt her smile as her lips gently touched his own. The feeling of her naked skin pressed against his own was still indescribable…still unexplainable in any terms. It was hard for him to believe that mere months ago, he hadn't even known her. Right now, and at this specific moment, he couldn't imagine what it would have been like if she wasn't part of his life.

They stripped themselves of the rest of their clothes, wasting no more time in getting to what they knew was bound to come next. Trinity was still on top, which was different to both of them, though it hardly mattered as she lowered herself onto him, sending an explosive surge of heat and fire pulsing through each of them.

Trinity gasped as she began to move him inside of her. She couldn't ever remember feeling this alive – not even when she had first been unplugged. It was like that small flame inside of her had burst into a million flickering fires that had set light to her very being. Looking down into Neo's hazy eyes, she came to see that he felt no different than she did.

Soon, a new feeling replaced the old. No longer were they two separate bodies…two separate people. It felt as if everything had become one. Their mind…soul…everything. The feeling came just as Trinity reached her peak – she and Neo climaxing simultaneously…something that had never happened before. The feeling was unparalleled to anything either of them had felt before.

Neo gazed up into Trinity's face with awe. Her ebony hair was pasted to her face with perspiration, and there were more beads of sweat gathering on her forehead. Her blue eyes were open and alive as she parted her lips to cry out in pure ecstasy. To him, nothing in this world or in any other was more beautiful than her. Lifting his arm and putting it around her waist, he silently urged her to lie down beside him on the bed, as he rolled over and positioned himself on top of her, not once separating them from one another.

"It feels like…I'm on fire…" Neo murmured, beginning to move inside of her.

"Like I'm burning from the inside." Trinity added. The expression on her face made him stop briefly, muscles in his face growing tense.

"You okay?" He questioned in a voice filled with both lust and deep concern. She merely nodded in reply, causing him to relax once more. He brought a hand up to her cheek and gently pushed away strands of her hair, kissing her lips softly.

Although she was grateful that he had cared enough for her that he had been willing to stop himself, Trinity was also frustrated that they had slowed down once again. While his lips were still upon hers, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her to intensify the kiss.

Neo began to move inside of her again, this time using every ounce of his strength physically, mentally and emotionally. He wanted to give her everything he had within him. She wriggled beneath him with pleasure, tightening her hands around his neck so that she could force his body closer to her own.

It wasn't long before Neo climaxed again – enough to send Trinity over the edge as well. In that instant, all he could think about was the sensations surging through his body, and the woman who caused it. Only one person in all the world could make him feel this way. Only one person could make him forget everything that had troubled him in the past few hours. Right then, nothing seemed to matter. Everything was forgotten except the warmth of the room, the deep and profound love he felt for Trinity, and the fire that continued to burn inside of him long after he eventually drifted into sleep.

(o)

When Neo awoke the next morning, the first thing he noticed was the strange sensation he felt coursing throughout his entire being. His body felt peculiarly heavy…as if it would be a great effort for him to lift himself into a sitting position. Despite this, he was extremely lightheaded, and there was a tingling sensation in his skin. 

Allowing his eyes to flutter open, he eventually gathered enough strength to reach across the bed, expecting to find Trinity curled up next to him. Instead, his fingers brushed against the cold and empty patch beside him and he gasped in surprise. He sat up quickly, causing his head to spin and his vision to blur, and scanned the room for any sign of her. His breath drew in his throat when he realized she wasn't there, but he was instantly comforted when he heard the gentle sound of running shower water coming from behind the closed bathroom door. The image of Trinity in the shower sprung into his mind and he collapsed back onto the bed, smirking to himself.

Neo knew that Trinity had slept with him last night partly because she wanted to help him clear his mind, and it had worked. All his other troubles seemed millions of miles away from him now. The only thing he thought about – the only thing he _could _think about – was her. The entire room was filled with her unique scent, as well as the memories of the pervious night andthe few nights before.

He often wondered whether it was fate that had led him to Trinity in the first place. He didn't really believe in fate, but he couldn't think of any other explanation for their meeting. Out of all the hundreds of ships in the real world, the woman he would fall desperately in love with had just _happened _to end up on the same one as he did. Even though there were billions of people in this world and the Matrix, they had somehow managed to find one another. It all couldn't have been a coincidence. Things like this were just too big and too important to happen by chance.

When he was a teenager, he used to lie awake at night and think about things like philosophy, free will and freedom of thought. One of these things was love. He used to wonder what would happen if he thought he found the girl of his dreams, but then someone else came along who he loved even more. With all the billions of people out there, how could you ever be sure that you had found your soul mate until you had met everyone in the world? What if you were destined to be with one person, and one day they just breezed right past you and didn't give you any notice?

But after Neo had kissed Trinity for the first time, there wasn't a doubt in his mind. He knew right then, even if he didn't realize it at the time, that she was the one he was supposed to be with. Being with her just felt…_right._ It made him feel like everything was in balance…that this was how it was intended to be. From that moment on, there never would be anyone else. He didn't have to meet every single human woman to figure that out. He just…_knew _it.

Neo laughed and shook his head. He couldn't believe how cheesy that had just sounded in his own head. It could have been a segment from a television soap opera in the Matrix. But even if it did sound lame, he couldn't deny that it wasn't true, only on a much deeper and more profound level. The emotions he felt whenever he was with Trinity were emotions that he didn't experience when he was with anyone else.

While he was thinking this, he managed to pull himself out of bed and slide into his pants. Thinking back on this moment later on, he wasn't entirely sure what force had possessed him to walk into the bathroom when he knew that Trinity would be in there. He guessed that it was because from the second he awoke that morning, she had been the one thing on his mind. Whatever the reason, he pulled open the bathroom door and stepped inside.

"Neo!" Trinity cried in surprise when she heard the door open, pulling back the shower curtain and staring at him quizzically. "Is something wrong?"

Is was odd, Trinity thought, that she had once been afraid of being naked in front of Neo, and now here she was, standing under the shower, while his eyes roamed lustily over her body. Not a single wave of embarrassment or anxiety overcame her, because at this stage of their relationship, she really didn't have anything to be embarrassed about when she was with him.

Neo said nothing, but there was a certain look in his dark eyes that she knew all too well. A silent understanding passed between them as he gently closed the door behind him for good measure. Trinity merely watched as he stripped himself of the little clothing he wore and stepped into the shower, drawing the curtain closed with one swift movement of his hand.

He drew her mouth down onto his, their tongues sliding together, teasing and exploring one another. He guided his hands down to the small of her back, pressing his fingers into her sodden skin. She hummed softly in the back of her throat, curling her fingers around his tousled dark hair.

It wasn't long before she relinquished all her self-control, and allowed him to push her up against the cold steel wall. She could almost feel his emotion as if it belonged to her as well…feel his yearning and passion, as well as something much stronger. She couldn't believe that she had once accused him of being in love with Vivianna. It was clear to her now that in his eyes, she was the only one. It was exactly how she felt about him. She knew that she could never leave him, even if she wanted to.

Neo wasn't even thinking at all anymore. The warm water fell down his back in heavy sheets. Her bodily scent was overwhelming him…that enigmatic scent that could not be compared to anything else in any possible way. He trailed his tongue down her long, exposed throat, smirking to himself when she quivered and moaned. He let his hands slide down to her chest, her breasts rounding into his trembling hands as if they had always belonged there.

Trinity wished that there was someway to let Neo know exactly what she felt when his hands came into contact with her bare skin. She longed for him to know how just a single look from those dark, soulful eyes of his could set fire to something stored deep inside of her, and awaken a part of her she never knew existed. Right then, she couldn't have been any closer to him, yet she felt like it wasn't enough. She wanted him…she needed him – now.

"Do it!" She whimpered, surprised (and somewhat appalled) at the pleading tone in her voice. "Do it now!"

She wrapped her arms around him, crushing them together and trying desperately to touch all of the skin on his back at once. Neo could almost taste her…could feel the emotion radiating off her…could feel how much she trusted him with herself – how much she wanted him. But he wasn't going to give into her yet. He wanted to make everything last.

She began to cling to him, wrapping her legs around him, practically begging for him to enter her. He could feel himself pressed up against her and groaned, wanting desperately to give into her, but knowing he should hold himself back just a little longer. He pulled back from her, and she exhaled a whimper of protest, then realized that he was guiding a hand down her stomach, and even further down until…

She cried out his name, withering helplessly in his arms as he held her firmly and securely. It was like he had set off an explosion within her, pushing her completely over the edge. She could hardly think…she could hardly breathe. She scarcely had enough control left to remind herself that she did not want it to be this way.

"Neo…stop!" She managed to choke out.

Neo pulled away from her instantly, gripping her shoulders and studying her properly. Her intense blue eyes were wet, but not from the water of the shower. She wasn't even attempting to hold back her tears…it was as if she wasn't even aware that she was crying at all. Seeing her in this state shot a jolt of piercing agony through him. The same thoughts ran constantly through his mind. _I did this…I reduced her to this state…what the hell have I done to her?_

"I-I'm sorry…I didn't mean…" he trailed away, his voice becoming lost in the sound of the running water. His apology sounded so pathetic to his own ears. Any minute, he thought he was going to cry as well. "…I hurt you…"

Trinity shook her head vigorously. "You didn't. I just…" she swallowed, reaching a hand up to gently stroke his cheek. "…please, Neo…"

She kissed him again, reassuring him that everything was fine. She left one hand on his shoulder while using the other to gradually guide him inside of her, feeling the rush of release almost immediately. They began to move in perfect union, until she wasn't sure which of them was leading the other. It was as if they had one mind…one soul…one spirit.

Neo could feel all the muscles in his body tightening as Trinity reached her climax. The pressure of the water on his back and the blend of sensations he was feeling made him wonder if it were possible to die from so much pleasure. Trinity collapsed into his arms, exhausted, and he held her tightly against him, stroking her hair gently as he leaned back against the wall, eventually sinking onto the floor.

They stayed together in comfortable silence, until the water eventually began to run cold. Trinity reached up to turn it off as Neo slid out from underneath her, retrieving a towel and passing it to her before getting one for himself.

"You tired?" He asked her quietly, running his fingers gently across her back, causing a prickling sensation in her skin.

"I might go back to sleep." She said, resting her head against his shoulder. "What about you?"

Neo would have liked nothing better than to lie in bed with her for the rest of the day, but as much as he wanted to forget this, he knew he had other responsibilities. "I can't stay. Tank's funeral will be on this afternoon, and then – " he paused to take in a gulp of air. "I have to make that speech in the main temple tonight. Plus, I'll need to see Lorena sometime soon, and the only spare time I have to do that is now."

Trinity barely nodded, already half-asleep in his arms. He half carried, half walked her to their bed and pulled the sheets over her once she lay down. He knelt beside her, stroking her hair and watching as she fell into sleep, a rush of love and admiration flowing through him. When he was sure she was sleeping, he kissed her softly before changing into his clothes, then heading out into the streets of Zion.

(o)

A/N: Since I am doing my best to make this YOUR story, I have decided that I want to take a vote because I am not sure about one aspect. **_Should Neo tell Trinity about what happened with Vivianna or not?_** Either way, it doesn't really upset the plotline. It's just if you want me to add some extra angst or not. Please answer my question in your reviews!

Also, I have a question for those of you who may understand the Matrix trilogy better than I do. It came across my mind when I watched the first movie again the other day. Everyone knows the scene where Cypher enters the Matrix and strikes a deal with Agent Smith (what I refer to as the 'ignorance is bliss' scene), right? Well, my question is, how did Cypher get into the Matrix that day? He can't just jack himself in, can he? And I doubt anyone else from the crew would jack him in if they knew what he was doing. If someone else did jack him in, then they would have had to not be looking at the Matrix code when Cypher met Agent Smith or they would know what he planned to do ahead of time. But if they weren't looking at the code, then what were they doing? Someone would have had to have been there….right?

Anyway, I hope someone can answer my very complicated series of questions, or otherwise it would mean we've discovered a flaw in the movie's plot (if only a very small one)!

Thanks for reading, please review!


	37. Finding strength

A/N: Once again, I would first like to thank everyone for their amazing reviews and support! Seriously, you don't know how much it all means to me. Sometimes, coming home in the afternoons to check my reviews is the one thing I have to look forward to in the day. Without these reviews, I probably would have given up writing altogether a long time ago. THANK YOU!

Also, I would like to thank everyone who helped to answer the question I asked in my last A/N. I got some really awesome responses.

It is clear to me from everyone's reviews that Neo is going to tell Trinity about how Vivianna kissed him. An extra special thank you to 3nity for sending me an email filled with some fantastic ideas. I am still not sure how I am going to get the information out, but it will definitely be revealed to Trinity in the next chapter. If anyone has further suggestions on how Neo should tell Trinity, then please let me know either in a review or an email – thanks!

37

Neo cautiously approached the red steel front door of Lorena's room, and stood there in awkward silence for a moment. He had been trying to think of the best way to approach her on the way over, but still had no idea of what he was going to say. How could he just burst into the place unexpectedly and say something like 'Hey Lorena, I know about what's been going on. I'm going to help you.'?

He shifted uncomfortably on the spot as several people shot him doubtful glances. Clearly, Lorena lived in an area of Zion that was not supportive of the prophecy. Not wanting to spend a moment longer waiting around outside, he knocked sharply on Lorena's door. When no one answered, he knocked again impatiently. Finally, the door opened an inch, and two large, glittering emerald green eyes peered out at him through the shadowy darkness of the room beyond. The eyes widened in realization, then fixed him with a narrow, skeptical look.

"It's Neo." He told her as calmly as he could. "I just want to talk to you for a minute, if that's okay."

Lorena didn't make a sound, but opened the door a little wider so that he could see her properly. O thing instantly became clear to Neo: Lorena was ill. She was even paler than usual, and there were thick, dark circles around her huge eyes. Her unkempt, long blonde hair fell to her waist in a unruly mess of curls. Her entire appearance was disheveled and feeble.

Lorena pulled the door open further and allowed him to step into the room. She glanced warily into the street as if she was half-expecting someone else to be right behind him, then hurriedly snapped the door shut and tightened the wheel that would lock it. Meanwhile, Neo gazed around the tiny room. It was much smaller than Trinity's, and he could tell even in the dim light from a group of nearby candles that it was also a lot shabbier. There was a single bed pressed up against the far wall, but Lorena obviously refused to use this, for she had made herself another bed in the opposite corner of the room out of old, tattered sheets. The tiny kitchenette looked as though it hadn't been used in a long time, and the rickety table and chairs in the middle of the room was so unstable that Neo thought it may collapse at any minute. He couldn't believe that anyone – especially a sixteen year old girl – could actually live like this. It was wrong, and it had to be stopped.

"Lorena, why aren't you at the academy?" Neo asked her curiously. "Trinity told me that it was illegal for anyone under the age of sixteen to – "

"I'm on leave. I have been for last year." Lorena replied sharply in her strange, eerie tone. "After my father died, everyone seemed to think I just needed a break. They told me I could live here until I was ready to go back. But I can never go back now. I can't do anything 'normal'."

"Vivianna…" he paused for a sharp intake of breath. The mere mention of her name reminded him of how she felt about him. But he hastily pushed this all aside, reminding himself that now was not the time to worry about his own personal life. "…told me about what's been happening."

Lorena would not meet his gaze, but kept her large eyes fixed firmly on the floor, her arms folded defiantly across her chest. Neo eyed her uncertainly, wondering what was going through her troubled mind. The last thing he expected when she eventually looked at him again was to see anger in her eyes.

"Why did you send _her_? Why did you send a stranger? You could have just come to me alone."

"I was going leave Zion, and I didn't know when I would be back. But I didn't want to abandon you, so I asked a friend of mine to check up on you." Neo swallowed, bracing himself for the worst. "Lorena, I need you to tell me what's been going on. I need you to tell me everything."

"No!" Lorena cried immediately, shaking her head in a violent protest. "I can't!"

"You have to." Neo urged her. "If you don't, then there's no way for me to help you."

"You can't help me. Even if you manage to stop him, it won't matter. He's torn away at me…shredded my insides. Now there's nothing left…" silvery tears were building in her eyes, and she was shaking uncontrollably. Neo felt a sharp pain in his chest when he realized just how much this had effected her. He reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Her skin was icy cold.

"Look at yourself, Lorena. You're sick, and you desperately need help. At least let me _try_ to help you. At least tell me who it is so I can make it stop. I promise you that everything will be alright once you tell me what I need to know."

Lorena sniffed as the tears began to roll down her cheeks. Neo tightened his grip on her shoulder supportively, silently urging her to speak. Finally, she began to speak in a low voice, as if afraid that the walls themselves would overhear her.

"He doesn't come every night. He only comes when he feels like it. Sometimes, his visits are weeks apart, and other times, they're merely days. But when he does come, he always does the same things. He first approaches my door, and then he knocks really sharply. I put my hands over my ears and pretend not to hear him, hoping that he'll go away and leave me alone. But he always knows I'm in there. He calls out to me. He says that if I don't open the door now, he'll kill everyone I care about. So I get up and I open the door." She stopped short and sighed heavily. Neo had the impression that this was the first time she had told anyone this much.

"Keep going." He whispered to her comfortingly. Truthfully, he didn't want to hear the rest, but he knew that knowing the whole truth was the only way he could help her.

"Once he's inside, he locks the door behind him." She continued in a low murmur. "Then he takes off his c-clothes and tells me to do the same. He touches me, and makes me touch him. It hurts. It always hurts so much. Once he's done, he picks me up and carries me over to the bed." She turned to stare at the small bed in the corner and shuddered. "That's where he does it. In that bed. Sometimes, I try to fight him, but usually I don't. There's no point. He's so much stronger than me. His body is so heavy…and I'm so brittle. When he's had enough, he gets up and puts his clothes back on. He gives me the usual threats, and then he leaves me. He doesn't say when he'll be back again. He doesn't say anything else."

Neo could feel all the emotion closing in on him, the most prominent being rage, as well as something terrible…something beyond sadness or depression. Coupled with this was a sense of helplessness. Even though she had given him all this information, he could still do nothing to help her.

Lorena moved away from him silently and sat down in a chair. She took hold of the hem of her earth brown dress with trembling fingers and slowly pulled it up to reveal her upper-thighs, which were covered in huge, purple bruises. The sight of them made Neo wince as if he could feel the pain himself.

"Lorena, you have to tell me his name. I can't help you unless you tell me who he is."

"I don't know his name." Lorena said softly as she pulled her dress back down. "He never told me."

"Then can you give me a description? Anything?"

Lorena shook her head, tears foaming in her eyes once again. "I'm not supposed to tell anyone. He says he'll kill me and everyone else I know if I even speak a word. It was stupid of me to tell you! It was so stupid!"

"No, Lorena. It was right to tell me, because now I can protect you." Neo replied quickly, desperate for her to trust him. "I can make sure that it doesn't happen again."

"I don't need that kind of protection. It doesn't matter now…everything has been taken away from me. I have nothing left?"

"Then why did you come to me in the first place?" He erupted with frustration, then immediately wished he could take back his words. The last thing he wanted was for her to turn away from him. "Not that it was the wrong thing to do…"

Lorena stared at him through tear-stained eyes, then lowered her gaze to the ground once more, as if ashamed of what she was about to say. "When I found out you were the One, I thought you could use your powers on me…make me forget everything I have suffered through. Make me go back to being normal."

"Lorena…" Neo trailed away, unable to tell her that he was as powerless to help her as anyone else. "I can't make you forget."

"See? Then you're no help to me!" She shouted, her voice filled with anger. "Go!"

"I _can _help you, Lorena. Just not in the way you expected. You have to tell me more about this guy. Anything you know…anything I can use to find him."

"I can't!" Lorena sobbed. "I can't, and I won't."

"You have to. You trusted in me enough to tell me everything you have so far. You believe I'm the One, so you must have faith in me. You need to believe that I can protect you."

Lorena fixed him with a long, hard stare. For a while, Neo was hopeful that she may have given in to him. She opened her mouth to speak, but changed her mind and then turned her back on him completely.

"Leave now." She whispered

"I won't leave until you tell me something more about him."

"I've told you enough. Now go away!"

Realizing that he could get nothing out of her, Neo decided to leave. It was almost time for Tank's funeral, and he didn't wan to be late. He left Lorena with the promise of returning and headed back to he and Trinity's room.

(o)

The temple was almost completely full. It seemed as if Tank had touched the lives of more people than Neo had first expected. Each and every one of the people in the small temple cared enough about Tank to want to be at his funeral…to bid him a final goodbye.

Trinity stood close to Neo and surveyed the small crowd. Most of the faces were familiar, but there were some people she did not recognize. She briefly wondered how Tank had been connected to these people, but did not dwell on this for too long. She was already running herself through her usual mental strategies for keeping her emotions in check. _I will not cry…I will not cry…I will not cry…_

By some miracle, she managed to make it through the entire ceremony without shedding a single tear. She knew if it had gone on any longer, she most certainly would have broken down. Glancing up at Neo, she could see that he wasn't far from breaking down either.

During the ceremony, Neo had been unable to take his eyes of the urn at the front of the room which held Tank's ashes. He couldn't get past the fact that this would be his last chance to look upon what remained of the man who had been his best friend. Once it was over, the urn would be taken away and all that would be left of Tank was the memory he held inside of him. And how long would those memories last?

After the ceremony was finished, large amounts of people began to approach Neo with the usual questions. He had noticed several people stealing glances at him throughout the ceremony, and it angered him greatly. They could ask him questions later. Now was supposed to be Tank's hour…the time in which they reflected on him, and not Neo. But nevertheless, he did his best to put on a straight face as numbers of people introduced themselves to him. All the while, Trinity remained at his side, giving him support without needing to say a word.

"Do you want to go and have a word with Tank's family?" Trinity murmured to him once the general excitement of seeing the One had subsided a little. "I'm sure they'd appreciate it."

Neo nodded, although what he really wanted to do was go back to his room with Trinity and stay there. But he knew that he still had other duties, and he wanted to make sure that Tank's family were coping okay. He pushed his way to the back of the temple, where Link, Zee, Cas and her two children were gathered together, all of them with tears streaming freely down their faces.

"Hey, Zee." Trinity said quietly. She knew that Zee would have been hurt the most. She and her brother had been incredibly close.

"Hi Trinity," Zee sniffed, nodding in the other woman's direction, and then her companion's. "Neo."

"Hey." Neo mumbled awkwardly. He honestly didn't know what to say. Should he tell Zee how much Tank had meant to him, or would that just sound pathetic? Tank had been Zee's older brother. Now she had lost _both _of her brothers, and in equally horrible ways. Out of everyone who had attended the funeral, she had probably been effected the most.

"You know what?" Zee continued after a long, uncomfortable silence. "I really wish I could believe you are the One, Neo. I wish it so much, because it means that you could destroy those damn sentinels that took my brother's life. But I can't believe you. I can't believe because if you really were the One, you would have saved Tank and Dozer."

Neo paled, and Trinity shot Zee a darkening look. "Neo did what he could, Zee. But some things are just meant to be this way. It was their time to go."

"I know." Zee sobbed. "It's just…I'm sorry…"

She fell back into her husbands arms and began to cry uncontrollably into his chest. Link wrapped his arms around her and gave Trinity and Neo an apologetic look.

"Sorry. She's just really emotional right now. We all are."

"I know." Neo said sympathetically, placing a hand gently on Link's shoulder. "We just came over to let you guys know that we're here if you need, you know, anything."

"Thanks, man." Link smiled sadly. "That really means a lot to us."

Trinity was about to say something more when she felt someone tap her shoulder and turned sharply to see a middle-aged woman with short, red hair and bright blue eyes smiling at her.

"Hey, Trinity." The woman said. "It certainly has been a while."

"Gina!" Trinity exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"My ship just docked this morning. I heard about what happened to your crew-member, so I decided to come along and pay my respects." Gina replied, now turning to face the rest of Tank's family with a sincere expression on her face. "I'm terribly sorry about Tank. I know what it's like to loose someone you love. This must be a horrible time for all of you."

"It is, but we're a strong bunch. We'll pull through. But thanks for your sympathy." Link answered, then turned to the rest of his family. "Maybe it's time we headed home. I'll catch you all later."

"So I take it this is Neo?" Gina said once the family had left, peering over Trinity's shoulder.

"That's right." Trinity shot a glance at Neo from over her shoulder, only to see him gawking back at Gina in utter disbelief. A puzzled expression graced her face, but she didn't say a word.

"The One himself. What an honor." Gina smiled as she held out her hand, which he took. "I've heard quite a few things about you."

"It's good to meet you." Neo replied, his voice slightly hoarse.

"I've been hearing rumors ever since I arrived in Zion. I can't wait to hear you make your speech tonight."

Neo swallowed, his face instantly turning a light shade of green. "I'm not really looking forward to it."

"Just pretend that the audience is in their underwear and I'm sure you'll do fine." Gina laughed.

"So how've you been, Gina?" Trinity asked her, taking the attention away from Neo when he blushed a little.

"Not bad." Gina shrugged, then smiled slyly. "I hear you're doing pretty well, Trinity. Rumor has it that you're getting involved with someone. Part of the reason why I came over here was to find out if it was true, and from what I can see, it is. The two of you look pretty comfortable with each other."

Trinity tried to fix the older woman with a menacing scowl, but couldn't stop the reddish hue from creeping into her cheeks.

"You're just like I remembered, Trinity." Gina grinned. "Well, I better let you go. I guess I'll see you around sometime. Nice meeting you Neo."

She was gone before either of them could reply. Neo stared after her, while Trinity merely sighed. "Gina was never really known for having good manners. Now let's get out of here before people start to bombard you with questions again."

"So that was Gina?" Neo asked as he hurried after Trinity down a busy street, doing his best to ignore any remarks or questioning glances people gave him. "The one who Cypher tried to – "

"Yes, that's right." Trinity cut in, then asked curiously, "Why are you so interested?"

"Because I think Gina is the woman I keep dreaming about." Neo lowered his voice as they passed a group of gawking teenagers. "The one I see dying."

Trinity froze and whirled around to face him, her eyes wide. "Are you sure it's the same person?"

"Positive." Neo answered with utmost sincerity. "There's no mistaking it."

"But Neo, you didn't know Gina until today. How is that possible?"

"I don't know. All I know is that it is definitely her." Neo waited for her to answer him, but all he received in reply was a doubtful look. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Of course I believe you." Trinity replied truthfully. "I'm just wondering what this could mean. You've never seen Gina before today, and yet you've been watching her die repeatedly in your dreams for weeks. It doesn't make any sense."

"I know. I don't understand it either. The dreams started after Tank's death. I thought that it had something to do with the grief I was going through…that I was making up these disturbing visions in my subconscious or something. But then again, it didn't feel like a regular dream. It felt more real…like I was experiencing it myself. I could feel all of her emotions and everything."

"It's definitely something to worry about." Trinity answered musingly. "But we don't have time to think about it right now. You have to give a speech to the entire city in less than four hours!"

(o)

Neo stood at the very back of the main temple of Zion, hidden from view behind a large, stone wall. The distant murmurs of the excited crowd beyond filled his ears, only adding to his nausea. This would have to be the single most humiliating thing he would ever have to do in his life.

The whole city was there to watch him deliver this speech. Not one person had failed to turn up, including the non-believers. They were all expecting him to tell them how he planned to lead them into greatness, when really he had no idea how he was going to do it, let alone what he was going to say to them. Sure, he knew he was the One. There wasn't a doubt in his mind. But that didn't mean he had the answers to everything. How was he meant to explain everything he knew and felt inside him using only a few simple words that came off the top of his head? How was he supposed to convince all these people to believe in him, and what would happen if he didn't?

He was beginning to wish that he had taken the time to sit down and write a proper speech. He was minutes away from getting up on that large platform and addressing them and he still had no idea what to say. At least when he had been asked to give speeches before, he had been well-prepared. Without any notes to refer to, his fear of public-speaking had just doubled.

"Alright Neo, I'm going to go up to the platform and give you an introduction. Then it's your turn to give your speech." Councilor Hamman instructed him. "Are you ready?"

Neo automatically shook his head. Hamman's words made what was happening sound even more real. His legs felt so weak he didn't know if he'd be able to stay on his feet much longer. Trinity reached over and took his hand in hers, and Morpheus, who was standing behind him, rested his hand on Neo's shoulder comfortingly. But even their support wasn't enough for him, because he knew that even though they could help him, it all came down to him in the end. He was the One. He would have to make the speech. No one else could do it for him, which meant that he was now completely and utterly alone.

Councilor Hamman smiled at him kindly. "Just speak from the heart, Neo. You'll do fine."

He ascended the stone stairway to the main platform with an air of confidence and ease. Neo wondered how many times Hamman had to climb those stairs before he could be so calm. He wondered how many speeches _he _had to give before he could be as relaxed as Hamman was now.

"People of Zion!" Hamman's booming voice echoed all the way back down the stairway. The crowd beyond the wall instantly silenced. "The Council has asked that you gather here tonight so that we may be able to confirm the rumors that many of you may have heard. I can now safely say to you that yes, we do believe that at long last, the One has been found, and he is here to speak with you now!"

_Oh God, _Neo thought as a great cheer of approval rose up from the crowd, _now I really am going to throw up._

"Some of those who are gathered here with us believe very strongly in the prophecy, and others do not." Hamman continued once the noise had died down. "Others are still unsure of what they believe. But no matter what your opinion of the One is, I ask all of you to see the man before you for who he is, and not what he is. I urge you to listen closely to everything he has to say, because I am sure that whatever it is, it will be something that is important to all of us..."

"I-I don't think I can do this." Neo stuttered as an involuntary shudder passed through him. He didn't have anything important to say to them. He didn't even know what he was going to say when he got up there anyway. And this wasn't just another stupid school debate or public-speaking contest his Matrix mother had forced him to do. What he said now could determine whether they believed in him or not. In a sense, it could determine the future of Zion.

"Yes you can, Neo." Morpheus replied sternly from behind him. "It's like what I always say to you. Don't think – know. If you believe you can do it, then you will be able to."

Neo nodded meekly. Although Morpheus's words helped a little, he was still doubtful. That rule only applied to the Matrix. This was the real world.

"And now, without further ado, I give you the One himself – Neo!" Hamman finished from the platform, and the crowd roared in anticipation.

Trinity could feel the tension radiating off him. She longed to be able to stand with him on the platform…to hold his hand and assure him that everything was alright. He always seemed to have more confidence and belief in himself when she was with him. But when it all came down to it, he was the only one who could do this, and he needed to do it alone.

"I know you can do it, Neo." She whispered in his ear. "I believe."

She tightened her grip on his hand before letting go. Neo took in a great gulp of air, silently begging himself not to vomit as he slowly began to walk up the stairs. He kept his eyes focused ahead of him and did not once look back, knowing that both Morpheus and Trinity were there to give him their support. As he reached the top of the stairs, he began to wonder whether he would actually be able to speak at all.

Councilor Hamman had moved back to the edge of the platform. Beyond him, Neo could see down into the room. He had never been in the main temple before, and could now see that it was much larger than the smaller ones on the upper levels. This temple could easily hold the entire city. Millions of people filled the cave, their cheers echoing off the stone walls. The sound was almost deafening. Neo didn't think he was capable of taking another step. He turned to Councilor Hamman, his dark eyes alive with pure terror. Hamman returned his stare with his own cool grey gaze, and Neo was suddenly reminded of the older man's advice to speak from the heart.

Suddenly, he was filled with an overwhelming sense of courage and self-pride that come from somewhere deep inside of him. The same feeling he had experienced only a few times before. He was the One, and he knew it. That should be more than enough to convince these people. He had defeated Agents and broken more laws of the Matrix than anyone else. What was a little speech to him?

Neo now approached the edge of the platform, and the crowd of people immediately fell silent. He could see them all clearly now, but he was no longer afraid. Only determined to make them all believe in him. Somehow, he now knew exactly what he needed to say.

"Hi." He began simply, his voice traveling through the whole of the silent cave. "As you already know, my name is Neo, and I am the One. You are all probably wondering why I am so sure of this, and the truth is that I honestly don't know. But I have this feeling…something buried deep inside of me that gives me courage and self-confidence. If it wasn't for that feeling, I wouldn't be able to stand here and speak to you today. I believe that it is this feeling that makes me the One, and not my other abilities. Those abilities may be present in the Matrix, where I am almost invincible. But here in the real world, I'm just Neo…just an ordinary human being, like the rest of you. But I still have the feeling in the real world, and that is what makes me special. I am sure that you all want to know how I plan to end the war. That is also something I still do not know the answer to. But I do know that when the time comes for me to act, I will be ready to fight. I will fight until the end for the sake of all of humanity, not just because I know that it is my destiny, but also because I know that what I am doing is right. I feel connected to all of you, and because of that I will do whatever it takes in order to protect you. I know that many of you still doubt me, and that's fine. Just have faith in the feeling – the spirit – inside of me. It has not led me awry so far."

A general murmur arose from the crowd when Neo paused. Most of them were now looking at him in perplexity, and wondering what he planned to say next. He smiled a little, then took a deep breath before he continued.

"Before I was unplugged, I was just an ordinary guy. Then, all of a sudden, I found out that it was up to me to bring freedom to the entire human race. This just goes to show that when all things seem hopeless, you must remember to believe. If we believe in ourselves, in all of humanity, and everything that I feel inside of me, then I know we can end this war, and that we can finally bring peace to our people. That's all I have to say to you. Thank you."

When he finished, the crowd began to cheer even louder than they had before. Some people were even chanting his name in union. As Neo stepped off the platform, he was instantly overcome with a rush of elation. That had been the hardest thing he ever had to do, and he had done it. Never before had he felt this invincible, or had this much faith in himself. They believed him…trusted him. Together, he knew that the human race could conquer any foe.

Morpheus and Trinity were waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, both glowing with pride and admiration. Morpheus clamped him on the back and congratulated him again and again. For a moment, Neo even thought he saw tears in his captain's eyes. Councilor Hamman did not speak to Neo directly as he was about to address the people again, but exchanged a glance with him that told Neo all he needed to know.

While Neo was being congratulated by Morpheus, Trinity watched him in silence. Never before had she had more faith in the prophecy…more faith in him. Just listening to him speak had been inspiring to her, and she was more proud of him than she had ever been before. When he was finally done speaking to Morpheus, he approached her with a tiny smile on his face. Trinity grinned at him, and his smile broadened as he swept her into a tight embrace. At first, she gasped in surprise as she felt his arms wrap around her, but before she even realized what she was doing, she was hugging him back just as tightly. When they broke apart, he was beaming, and she knew her expression must have mirrored his own.

"You better get out there, Neo." Morpheus interrupted, a wide grin stretched across his face. "I'm sure there are thousands of people eager to talk to you."

Neo nodded, immediately taking Trinity's hand in his own. Ordinarily, he wouldn't have wanted to face the publicity, but right now he didn't think he'd mind being bombarded with questions or remarks. He looked at Trinity imploringly, unsure whether she would want to go with him or not. The expression he received in return answered the unvoiced question. Unable to keep the smile off his face, he clutched onto her hand even tighter, and side by side, they stepped out into the main area of the temple.

(o)

As always, thanks for reading, please review!


	38. Confessions

A/N: Just a forewarning that this chapter may be a little…graphic towards the end. I tried to be as subtle as possible while still implying what I needed to. I'm just saying that if anyone's uncomfortable with suicide, then they probably shouldn't read the end of this chapter.

38

Neo awoke late the following morning in a sour mood. It had taken him ages to leave the temple last night since people had continuously approached him with ongoing questions about his speech. Once he had finally returned to his room and had fallen asleep, his dreams were plagued with disturbing images of Gina's death that were replayed constantly in his mind. Every time he had woken up, he had been too afraid to fall back to sleep again, so he had ended up missing out on some much needed rest. He finally managed to fall into a light doze when he heard a knock at the door. Trinity went to answer it, and after speaking briefly to whoever the visitor was, returned and knelt by his bedside, gently shaking him awake.

"Trin…" he mumbled in protest, pulling the sheets around him more tightly.

Trinity could resist a grin, knowing just how much he disliked being disturbed from sleep. "Neo, there are people at the door who want to see you."

Neo groaned in annoyance and opened his eyes, only to see Trinity grinning at him. He couldn't help smiling in reply as he answered, "Tell them I'll answer their questions later."

"I don't think you'll be able to shake these visitors that easily." Trinity replied, a hint of humor in her tone as she predicted how he would react to what she was now about to tell him. "It's Kid and Raven."

Neo's brown eyes first widened in surprise, then narrowed in pure irritation. _Oh great, _he thought sarcastically to himself, _just who I wanted to see. _He had planned on spending today with Trinity, filling her in on Lorena and hopefully getting the 'private time' with her that they both sorely needed. But unfortunately, it looked as though these plans wouldn't come to pass. He didn't think he would be able to get rid of Kid and Raven too easily.

After dragging himself out of bed and pulling on the tan coloured shirt and pants that rested at the end of the bed, he slowly made his way to the door and jerked it open. Kid and Raven jumped back in surprise when he appeared so suddenly, gawking at him with wide eyes. Neo stared back at them both calmly, running his fingers once through his bedraggled dark hair self-consciously.

"Hey, Neo!" Kid exclaimed in a tone that was a mixture of both awe and admiration once he'd recovered. His large brown eyes were transfixed on Neo as if he never wanted to let the older man out of his sight again.

"Hi, Kid. Raven." Neo nodded to each of the teenagers in turn, eyeing them curiously. Now that he was more awake, he couldn't help wondering what they were doing here, although he figured it had something to do with his speech considering the way Kid kept looking at him.

Raven merely shrugged, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on the ground. Something told Neo that the younger teenager didn't want to be here, and he couldn't understand why he would come. When they had parted last time, Neo had been silently grateful that he would never have to talk to Raven again, and he had thought Raven would feel the same way. Besides, Raven had known that Neo was the One long before the public announcement had been made, and hadn't been terribly interested in it then, so why should he be interested now?

"Neo, that was an awesome speech that you made the other day!" Kid burst out in a tone of complete sincerity. "You probably didn't see me because of all the people, but I was there watching, and you were great! The way you spoke…like you were getting your words from somewhere completely different…it was so inspiring! You're my hero, Neo, literally, and to think that I actually have the privilege – no, the honor – of being able to tell people that I was unplugged by you!"

Neo gazed at Kid, dumbfounded, as the teenager struggled to catch his breath after making this short speech. Was this why Kid had come to see him? Did he plan on starting up his own personal 'Neo fan-club'? Neo felt himself turning red again, still unused to all this unwanted attention. Kid had always been especially attached to him, and seemed to look up to him as an older brother when they were on the ship, but Neo had never expected him to start acting like this.

Kid was now nudging Raven, prompting him to speak, but the younger boy's lips were pursed together tightly as if he refused to say a word – something which was highly unusual for him. When Neo had first unplugged Raven, he hadn't been able to get him to shut up. He remembered the long conversations he, Tank and Trinity used to have in the Mess Hall about how much Raven had pissed them all off and a small smile crept onto his face.

"Uh…thanks, Kid." He said awkwardly, holding the door to his room open a little wider. "Why don't you guys come in?"

"Yeah, okay." Kid said gladly, stepping over the threshold with Raven just behind him.

"You invited them in?" Trinity smirked when she saw the grieved expression on Neo's face as he led his guests to the table and chairs in the kitchenette.

"Just being a good host." Neo grinned back at her.

"So I take it the two of you are still together?" Raven said, looking from Neo to Trinity.

Neo began to rub at the back of his head nervously and nodded, while Trinity fixed Raven with an expression that clearly showed she was not going to discuss her relationship with a bunch of teenage boys. Kid seemed slightly startled by this remark, but didn't appear all that surprised. No one had ever told him about their relationship, but Neo gathered it must have been a little more obvious than either he or Trinity had thought.

"Anyway, that's not we came here to talk to you about." Kid's voice filled the awkward silence, and he glared at Raven. "My roommate here has something important to tell you."

Kid nudged Raven again, who frowned at him and pulled his chair away, putting as much distance between them as possible. Feeling somewhat protective over Kid in a brotherly perspective, Neo had wanted to make sure that Kid had some familiarity when they left him at the academy, so he had ensured that the boy would be roommates with Raven – another one of the teenagers he had helped to unplugged. He knew that Raven and Kid would have similar experiences to talk about, but he had forgotten to consider just how different the two of them were in personality.

"I see you two have been getting along." Trinity said sarcastically, the look in her eyes telling Neo that she was thinking the same thing he was.

"Hey, none of it is my fault." Raven held up his hands defensively. "I try to be nice, but for some reason, Kid can't stick me!"

"That's not true, and you know it, jackass." Kid spat back at him. "It's all _his _fault. He betrayed you, Neo!"

"What are you talking about?" Neo stared between them both in bewilderment.

"He's just joshing you." Raven replied hastily, although he looked highly uncomfortable. "You know I would never shaft you, man."

"Liar!" Kid shouted. Raven shoved his roommate hard in the chest. Although they were both newly-unplugged, Kid was naturally a lot meeker and more gangly in build, and was sent staggering backwards.

"Both of you stop it, shut up, and sit down!" Trinity shouted, getting to her feet, her blue eyes glowing menacingly as she surveyed both of them. They had only been here for ten minutes and she already had had enough of them, eventually unable to stop herself from losing her temper. How anyone could stand sharing a dorm room with the two of them was beyond her.

Kid and Raven were so startled that they dropped into chairs next to each other at the table without another word. Neo stared at Trinity and saw the warrior's spark glinting in her ice blue eyes – the side of her he rarely got to see anymore. He had always loved that about her…the fire that seemed to burn inside of her…the way she refused to let anyone push her around or treat her differently just because she was female. It was one of the things that had attracted him to her in the first place, and he still had the highest regard for her quick-temper. Also, she was exceedingly good at putting moody teenagers in their place.

Neo lowered himself into a seat opposite Kid and Raven, looking at her thankfully. Trinity merely smirked and sat down again next to him.

"Alright, so tell me why you're here." Neo demanded.

"It's all his fault, Neo! He's been a total jerk." Kid began while Raven folded his arms defiantly across his chest.

"Kid, you can't expect me to fix all your problems." Neo said with a smile. "I may be the One, but I have a feeling that I wasn't given all these abilities just so I could help teenagers sort out their differences."

"It's not me, Neo, although he _has_ been a total jerk to me." Kid said darkly. "He double-crossed you!"

"What do you mean by that?" Trinity asked sharply. "And you better give me a straight answer, Kid."

"I forced him to come here so he could tell you himself, but since he won't…" Kid exhaled a deep breath before he continued. "Neo, Raven is the reason why the whole city knows that you're the One! He's the one who started all the rumors."

Neo froze, staring back at Raven in shock. He had been so concerned with dealing with the publicity that he had completely forgotten about wondering who had caused it for him in the first place. And Raven…? When he had been thinking about all the people who could have started telling rumors, he hadn't thought of him, but now it all seemed to make perfect sense.

"Is that true?" Trinity said angrily, glancing wildly from one boy to the other.

"I didn't mean to cause all this!" Raven cried, speaking properly to Neo for the first time that morning. His dark eyes were wide with guilt, and it looked as though he was about to burst into tears at any second. "I was at the academy, and everyone was swapping stories about how they were unplugged. This one really stuck-up guy was telling me about how he was unplugged by someone famous, and I couldn't resist showing off – you know what a blabber-mouth I am – so I started telling them about how you were the One. Before I knew it, the whole city knew. I'm really sorry, man. I didn't mean to…I mean – "

He continued to babble a senseless apology, and Kid folded his arms across his chest, giving his distressed companion a smug 'I-told-you-so' look. Trinity glowered at Raven furiously. She had always disliked him, but that was out of pure irritation. Now, she suddenly wanted to cause him as much pain as possible for what he had put Neo through. She pictured the sickly look that had been on Neo's face the day they arrived in Zion and realized that all of it could have been avoided if Raven had kept his mouth shut. Neo, however, was now looking completely calm.

"Raven, it's alright." He said softly, cutting through his ramblings. "It was a big secret to keep, and you told me ages ago that you couldn't keep secrets well. I'm just sorry that I told you about being the One in the first place."

"You mean you're not going to tell him off?" Kid cried, outraged.

"Well, as Neo said, it technically isn't my fault." Raven grinned, showing off his startlingly white teeth. "He should never have told me about it in the first place, so –"

"Don't push your luck, Raven." Trinity said curtly. "I suggest the two of you leave – now."

Raven and Kid both said a hurried goodbye, and Trinity escorted them to the door, snapping it shut briskly behind them.

"You took that rather well." She said, struggling to keep her voice level. "I swear, I felt like pounding Raven into the ground for a minute there."

"I was angry with him at first too." Neo admitted. "But then…I realized that I didn't really care about that anymore. What's done is done, and there's no use getting angry at Raven now. Besides, I can learn to live with the publicity. I've got bigger, more important, issues to deal with."

"Like what?" Trinity said with concern. She could tell from the tone in his voice that he was thinking about something important.

Neo looked into her eyes, his own filled with pain and a deep sadness. "Lorena."

(o)

Trinity kept glancing at Neo as they walked down the crowded street. His face had turned pale, and he was moving with an anxious jaunt in each step. He clearly wasn't looking forward to meeting with Lorena again, and frankly, Trinity didn't blame him. From what she gathered, the girl had practically thrown him out of her house during the last time he had come over. This angered Trinity, since she couldn't understand why Lorena was acting the way she was. All Neo had been trying to do was protect her…

Even so, she couldn't be too angry with Lorena. When Neo had told her about the rape, she hadn't known what to think. It had become quite a sensitive topic for her ever since Charity's death, and an involuntary shudder always passed through her at the mere mention of the word. To think that it was happening in Zion…that someone was sick and twisted enough to do something like that here, where everyone relied souly on the support of one another…it was just disgusting to consider.

She crashed into someone, breaking through her reverie, and realized that if it wasn't for Neo leading her, she would have become completely emerged in her own thoughts. She was about to mutter an apology to the person in front of her, but when she looked up and saw Dwayne glaring down at her, she hastily bit her tongue.

"Where are you going in such a hurry, beautiful?" He sneered.

"Oh fuck off, Dwayne." Trinity said savagely, not at all in the mood for dealing with him now.

"Now, that's no way for a lady to speak." Dwayne said mockfully. "I see you're still with Neo, which certainly surprises me. Great speech by the way, Neo. I almost believed you…until I remembered you're really a sleazy son of a bitch. How can you still sleep with Trinity after what you did to her?"

Neo clenched his hands into fists, fighting with the urge to lash out at Dwayne. He was sure he would have if it weren't for the surrounding crowds. He didn't want to draw anymore attention to herself.

Trinity thought about telling Dwayne why she was still with Neo, but decided that it wasn't worth the effort. Instead, she fixed him with a cold stare before stalking off in the opposite direction, dragging Neo behind her.

The door to Lorena's room was open, much to Neo's surprise. Lorena was always so careful to keep the door locked, so why was today an acceptation to that rule? When he pushed open the door and stepped into the room, he instantly knew the answer to his question. The girl was curled up in the corner of the room, tears leaking freely down her cheeks as she toyed absently with one of her tattered blankets. She looked a mess: her face pasty and blotchy, her eyes blood-shot, and her long mattered hair pasted to her tear-stained cheeks. Her dress had risen slightly up her legs, revealing fresh bruises on her thighs.

"Was he here just now?" Neo asked in a hoarse whisper.

Lorena sniffed and slowly lifted her head off the floor. She stared at him unblinkingly, her huge green eyes filled with the constant hurt she carried. She wiped her eyes and nodded solemnly, still fingering the blanket unconsciously. Feeling his heart ache with emotion, Neo came and sat next to her, wrapping an arm protectively around her shoulders and drawing her close to him in a brotherly fashion. Lorena burst into a set of fresh tears, sobbing into his shirt.

Trinity watched on, her eyes suddenly filled with unexplained tears of rage. The first time she had met Lorena, it had been in a club on Neo's second night in Zion ever. At this stage, her relationship with Neo wasn't as strong, and she had still been worried about his attraction to other women. She had been infuriated with Lorena, thinking that she was approaching Neo with the hope of being able to seduce him. She could now see that this had been the last thing on Lorena's mind. All the girl had wanted from Neo was help, and she, Trinity, had scared her away just because she was afraid of losing Neo.

"Lorena, this is Trinity." Neo said when he noticed that the two women were now staring at each other. He felt Lorena tense beside him. "Don't worry. She's here to help."

"Lorena," Trinity said quietly. "I know you don't want to tell anyone about this, and I can understand that. It's hard to talk about these kinds of things. But if you don't do something about it soon…if you let all this inward turmoil continue…then you could end up doing serious damage to yourself. I should know because…" she swallowed, being sure to keep her emotions in check before she continued. "…because the same thing happened to my older sister, and she ended up killing herself."

Lorena was silent, gazing up at Trinity with a knew kind of perspective. Neo tightened his hold on her, wanting desperately to envelope Trinity in his arms as well. He knew how difficult it was for her to talk about her past, especially to someone she didn't know or trust yet. But he was glad that she had decided to do this, because it was somehow getting through to Lorena. It seemed as if Trinity was speaking to her on a level she could understand better. Neo wondered, with a heavy heart, how many times Lorena had considered taking her own life.

"I'm not saying you're going to go to those extremes." Trinity added hastily when she saw the look on the younger girl's face. "But I am warning you that you need to look after yourself. Look at you – you're a mess. This simply can't go on. This guy has to stop hurting you, and if you tell us what you can about him, then we can protect you."

"I-I can't." Lorena eventually chocked out, close to tears again.

"I know you're worried about him hurting the people you care about. Old friends of yours, perhaps…other family? But I promise you that they'll all be safe. I'll do whatever I can to protect them until we catch this bastard." Neo said firmly.

"If you won't tell us, then at least come and stay with Neo and I. That way, he won't be able to get to you." Trinity suggested.

"He'll hunt me down. He always knows how to find me, and he'll kill you both if he finds me there." She whispered in distress. "Oh, God…I'm so tired…so tired…"

"Sleep." Neo instructed her, realizing that he would not be able to get any other information out of her just yet. "Trinity and I will stay here."

He was just about to move in order to allow her to lie down when there was a sharp knock at the door from behind them. Lorena gasped and clutched onto Neo's shirt, her hands trembling and her face white.

"It's him." She sobbed. "He's going to kill you."

The knock sounded again, even stronger and more demanding than it had been before. Neo and Trinity exchanged anxious glances, bracing themselves for the worst. Neo tightened his arm around Lorena and felt her trembling. He was hoping to bring her some kind of reassurance, but his own heart was thudding uncontrollably in his chest.

Trinity took a deep breath and moved slowly towards the door. If the bastard was really on the other side, then she wanted to catch him off guard. She planned to pull open the door quickly and knock him unconscious before he had a chance to react. Lorena had said he was strong, but she was sure she could overpower most of the men in Zion. Even so, her knees felt weak as she closed her fingers around the cold door wheel, ready to wrench it open.

"Be careful." Neo hissed, his voice filled with worry.

Trinity did her best to reassure him by putting on the smooth, emotionless expression she usually saved for jacking into the Matrix. Keeping her eyes on him and the terrified Lorena, she heaved the door open. The person behind it was so shocked by the sudden movement that they fell forward on the doorstep with a cry. It was a female voice. Trinity bent down and gripped the woman's shoulder, lifting her to her feet.

"Vivianna." Neo breathed with relief, feeling Lorena relax beside him. He took his arm from around her shoulders and stood up.

"What are you doing here?" Trinity asked irritably. She couldn't believe she had been fooled so easily.

Vivianna would not meet anyone's gaze. She kept her eyes on the floor, a curtain of long dark hair hiding her pale face from view. Neo knew that if she lifted her head, he would be able to see the red in her cheeks. He shifted awkwardly on the spot, realizing just how uncomfortable this was for all of them. Trinity, who knew nothing of the situation with Vivianna, was completely oblivious to this embarrassment, but shot Neo an odd glance when she noticed his awkward movements.

"I finished my shift at the hospital, so I came to check up on Lorena." Vivianna mumbled, chancing a quick glance past Neo to the girl, who had now collapsed completely from exhaustion. It seemed that all her sudden fear and then the giant wave of relief had finally spent the last of her energy.

"She's fine." Neo said, trying to keep his voice as normal as he possibly could. "Trinity and I are looking after her, so…"

"I know, but I still want to make sure she's okay." Vivianna moved quickly across the room and knelt beside Lorena, using it as an excuse to fix her eyes directly on one target. "She looks worse than ever."

"She said the guy was just here." Trinity said, shaking her head solemnly. "This is wrong. We can't let it continue."

"I know, but until she gives us more information, there's nothing we can do." Vivianna replied without turning to face the other occupants of the room.

"We were thinking that she should stay with us for a while." Neo said, rubbing the back of his head with his hand out of nervousness – an action which didn't go unnoticed by Trinity. "Whoever the guy is, he won't be able to find her there."

"That's a good idea, but it won't be necessary. I'll be able to look after Lorena and keep a watch on her here." Vivianna answered curtly, then added in a soft, pained voice. "I'm sure the two of you have other stuff you want to do."

Neo felt horrible, knowing full-well that Vivianna was still hurting because of him, and yet there was nothing he could do to make it better for her. Part of him wanted to be her friend…to hug her, and reassure her that everything would be okay. But he was too afraid of making it worse. This was the first time they had seen each other since the 'incident', and a lot of 'healing time' was obviously still needed if they were to ever rekindle their friendship. At this stage, Neo doubted that things between them would ever be able to go back to the way they once were. He couldn't stand the idea of Vivianna hating him…of their once unbreakable friendship being lost forever, and all over something so small.

Trinity could feel the tension in the room between Neo and Vivianna and was highly confused. What had happened to their close friendship? Last she knew, Neo and Vivianna had been able to joke and laugh together. Now, they couldn't look each other in the eye. What had gone wrong? As much as she wanted to ask, she knew it had to wait until later, and quickly pushed these questions aside.

"If you're going to look after Lorena, then Neo and I should go." Trinity said, deciding to save Neo from this apparently awkward situation. "Um…shouldn't we put her in her proper bed?"

Neo shook his head gravely. "She hates that bed. It's where it, you know, happens."

"Oh…" Trinity mumbled, immediately wishing she could take back her words. "Well, uh, take good care of her, Vivianna. Neo and I will come back tomorrow."

(o)

"So what's between you and Vivianna?" Trinity asked the moment she and Neo returned to their room and closed the door securely behind them.

"Huh?" Neo said, blinking himself back into reality. During the walk to their room, he had been completely emerged in his own thoughts. Worrying about Lorena…wondering how he was going to handle things with Vivianna…

"You know what I mean." Trinity said with a small smile. "I could tell something was wrong. Last I heard, you two were good friends. Now, you can't even look at each other properly. So what's changed?"

Neo gulped, having partly known that Trinity would have found out somehow. He wished he could have kept her oblivious to it forever, not because he doubted she would believe him when he tried to explain that the kiss had been completely hers, but because he wanted to prevent her from hurt. Trinity had been through so much pain in her life, and as a result of this, was prone to being effected greatly by this type of thing. Even if she didn't admit it, he knew that this would effect her.

Then again, he also knew that he would have told her sooner or later. He had been so preoccupied with other things that Vivianna had completely slipped his mind. But now that it was fresh in his memory, he realized that the guilt of keeping it secret from Trinity would eventually have eaten him up from inside. He may have not initiated the kiss, but it had still been a kiss, and Trinity had a right to know about it. Therefore, there was nothing for it. He would have to tell her.

"A lot has changed, actually." He began softly, averting her eyes. "I-I don't think things between Vivianna and I can ever be the same. I can't picture us, you know, joking around anymore. It's too…awkward."

"What's wrong?" Trinity said, her tone now filled with concern. She reached out and took hold of his arm, squeezing it tightly and urging him to speak. "Neo, tell me."

Neo took a shallow breath and finally looked up at her. Her blue eyes poured into his own, filled with deep concern and worry, as well as a more profound sense of love…the kind he always saw when he looked into her eyes. He was so afraid of seeing her in pain again. She'd had more than enough pain to deal with in her life. He tried to think of all the reasons he had for telling her this, but they all seemed stupid and selfish now. How could he possibly tell her about Vivianna?

"Neo, I'm worried about you." Trinity admitted. "You have so much to deal with right now, and I can tell that all the pressure is really getting to you. I want to know about this problem with Vivianna so I can _help _you."

He wasn't sure she would feel that way once he was finished explaining. He now thought of another reason for keeping this to himself – her infamous quick-temper. He didn't want Trinity to end up hurting Vivianna, since it really wasn't her fault. She had simply misread the signs, and was acting upon her own instincts. But what if Trinity didn't give him a chance to explain this? He still considered Vivianna a friend – even if she didn't see him that way anymore – and he didn't want her to get hurt. He didn't want _anyone _to be hurt in any way. He was so annoyed with Vivianna right now. Why did she have to kiss him in the first place?

"There's no other way for me to say this than to just…" He trailed away, realizing that stalling was only making it worse. He locked his eyes on her steadily and took a deep breath. "Vivianna kissed me."

Neo watched painfully as her concerned expression turned to shock. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open slightly. She shook her head firmly in denial. "What?"

"I-I didn't kiss her back." He said quickly. "We were just talking, and then the next thing I knew, she was kissing me. Trinity, I didn't mean for it to happen. I didn't _want _it to happen. I pushed her away from me straight away. I – "

"What the hell did you do?" she said through gritted teeth. While Neo had been babbling, her expression had changed yet again into one that was unmistakably full of rage. _Not just rage, _Neo thought to himself with a stab of pain, _she's fuming._

Trinity wanted to keep calm, but she couldn't deny the emotions that were lurking inside of her. Mostly, she was still in a state of shock. She had always suspected that Vivianna thought of Neo as more than a friend. But kissing him? When she knew that he was in another relationship? How could she have sunk so low? Already, the anger was beginning to boil beneath her skin.

"I didn't do anything, Trinity, I swear." Neo pleaded with her. He looked so distressed she almost feared he would break down at any minute. "And please don't be mad at Vivianna. She just misread the signs. She thought – "

"Don't tell me how I am supposed to feel, Neo." Trinity scathed, her words curt and sharp. "I want you to tell me everything about what happened. Every single detail, from start to finish, and don't leave anything out."

Neo blinked at her, having not expected this. He didn't think that she would be willing to hear what he had to say. But she stood in front of him with her arms folded protectively across her chest, anger lurking dangerously in her eyes, and ready to listen.

"I went to the hospital." He said quietly, seizing the opportunity to explain. "Vivianna had called me there so she could tell me about Lorena. S-She took me into this empty ward and started to tell me what she had discovered. When she was done, she told me these things…"

"Go on." Trinity prompted him. She wanted to hear everything before she came up with an opinion on the entire thing, but her emotions were making it difficult to focus on what he was saying. For once, she was glad she had practiced suppressing her emotions so much. Otherwise, she probably would have stormed out of the room long ago to go in search of Vivianna. She still would like nothing more than to do that, but obviously Neo still cared about his 'friend'. And since she cared about Neo, she was prepared to listen for his sake, and the sake of their relationship.

Neo had stopped himself, not wanting to tell her what Vivianna said in case he make her even more mad. But she had asked for the truth, and it was what she deserved. He sighed and continued, "She told me how much I meant to her, and that she cared about me, and would always be there for me. I thought she was just talking about it in terms of our friendship, and I was about to thank her for being such a great friend. But the next thing I knew, she was kissing me."

He stopped again when he heard her take in a sharp, painful breath, and cringed upon seeing the hurt in her eyes. He had done it again. He had hurt her. It was enough to make him go insane with guilt, even though he really hadn't done anything wrong…

Trinity lowered her eyes to his lips, trying to imagine the scene in her mind. She could see Vivianna, dressed in that short white nurse's robe that showed off her figure. She was pressed against Neo's body. _Her _Neo. Threading her fingers through his hair…grabbing onto his shirt to narrow the space between them…locking her lips on her own. Just knowing that she had kissed his lips was enough to make her want to scream. By some miracle, she still managed to hold it together…to wait…to listen…

"I pulled away from her straight away." Neo only managed to continue by reminding himself that the worst of it was over. "She was really surprised. She started to cry and told me that she loved me. I told her that she couldn't possibly because I loved you. I couldn't stand to be there any longer, so I left the room. I hadn't seen her again until today."

"Bitch." Trinity was unable to refrain from muttering, just loud enough for Neo to overhear.

"Really, it's not her fault." Neo said defensively. "I just wish…I wish it was different. I've lost her as a friend and I didn't even do anything wrong. Now I've had to put you through this and I hate the idea of hurting you."

Trinity couldn't deny that she wasn't hurt by this. Not so much by Neo, but by Vivianna, even though she had never been close to the girl. She felt as though she had been betrayed, in a sense, and that made her even more angry than she already was. But the angrier she became, the more she realized that none of this anger was directed at Neo. After all, from what he had told her it seemed as if he hadn't done anything wrong. It was not his fault she had suddenly decided to kiss him. And she believed his version of this story unquestionably. Not just because she wanted to, but because she trusted him, and because of all the sincerity she could see in his soulful brown eyes. She could tell that in hurting her, he had been hurting himself as well.

It seemed the soul source of all her anger was Vivianna, and she doubted that she would be quick to recover from this. She looked at Neo, and realized how possessive and protective she had become over him. She would do anything for him, even if it meant putting her own emotions aside and resisting the strong temptation to hurt Vivianna, which was a very strong desire of hers at the moment. But her anger wasn't want he needed from her at the moment….

When the Oracle had first told her that she would fall in love with the One, she had also been told that this love would change her. The Oracle had been right yet again. Trinity had changed more than she could ever imagined. She used to be cold and unfeeling…unable to open up and show anyone how she truly felt, even her closest friends. She was suffering from the scars of her past…too afraid of being hurt by another person to allow anyone in. She had paid the price of this behavior when Switch and Tank had died before she had the chance to tell them how much they meant to her. But then somehow, miraculously, Neo had opened her up and helped her to cleanse the wounds that had dwelled inside of her for so long. He had helped her to feel again.

Without another thought, Trinity wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her, attacking his lips with her own. At first, he cried out in surprise, but eventually sunk happily into the kiss. She could feel him starting to relax again…the tension in his muscles leaving him. When she broke away, however, he was still looking highly confused.

"Trinity, what – I mean….I…" he shook his head in disbelief, unable to tear his eyes away from her. She had to fight hard with herself to keep from laughing. "…aren't you mad?"

"I'm furious, Neo. But not with you. I believe you when you say that it wasn't your fault." She said, running her hand along his back soothingly.

"It's not Vivianna's fault, either." He replied, although right now he was so relieved that she wasn't mad at him that he hardly cared what she thought of Vivianna.

"That's probably true, too. But I'm still going to be mad at her for a long time." Trinity said. "As for you, I don't see any point in wasting time fighting over something so stupid. This is a war, and we don't know how much time we have left."

Neo hadn't considered this very real possibility before, and it terrified him. His hands automatically tightened around Trinity's waist as if he refused to ever let go.

"So things are okay?" he asked her. "Between us, I mean."

"Of course they are. I love you, Neo." She didn't say it quietly or embarrassedly, but loud and confident, as if she didn't care who overheard her…as if she was making a claim on him.

"I love you, too." Neo beamed, thrilled that she was no longer ashamed of her emotions.

_I'll wipe that smirk off his face, _Trinity thought to herself as she grasped him by the shirt and pulled him towards her. The anger she still felt against Vivianna somehow fueled the passion and intensity of their kiss. She could tell Neo had noticed this, for he groaned against her lips almost instantly, pulling her even closer to him so that the space between them became nonexistent. It wasn't long before she could feel his tongue against her lips, and eagerly parted them, allowing his tongue to slide into her mouth and clash against her own. He slid his hands up underneath her shirt, fingers massaging the flat stomach beneath and slowly itching their way downwards. Trinity moaned into their kiss as she felt his hands ease under the waistband of her skirt…

A sharp knock at the door brought them both crashing back to reality.

"Damn it!" Neo muttered as he reluctantly pulled away from her.

Trinity grinned and kissed him softly before sliding out from his arms. She checked to make sure that she was presentable before making her way to the door.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." Said a cynical voice from outside, catching Neo's immediate attention as he listened from within the room.

"Dwayne!" Trinity exclaimed in surprise, then narrowed her eyes skeptically. "What do you want?"

"You ask me that question so many times. But every time I answer you truthfully, you just push me away." He said mock-sorrowfully. "Do you really want me to answer you again?"

"Just tell me why you're here." Trinity snapped impatiently.

"Your precious captain sent me. He wants you to meet him in his room. There, happy? I was straight to the point."

"Very happy." Trinity replied. "But I would be even happier if you would get out of my face."

"Fine, if that's what you really want. I've got other things to do."

"Sure you do." Trinity murmured sarcastically, but closed the door on him before he could say another word. She turned to face Neo again, only to see him deep in thought and looking troubled. "What's wrong?"

"Why didn't I see it before?" Neo said quietly, sounding highly irritated with himself. "It was so obvious…"

"See what before?" Trinity asked worriedly. "Neo, you're not making any sense."

"Dwayne." He replied, as if it were simplest thing in the world. "Dwayne is the one who is raping Lorena."

"Dwayne?" Trinity gaped at him in disbelief, wondering what could have caused him to reach this conclusion.

"Of course. Who else do we know that would sink low enough to do something so terrible? He wasn't getting any, so he decided he would take advantage of an innocent girl. And we saw him this morning, remember? He was walking in the opposite direction to us…away from Lorena's room! He had just been there."

Trinity's mind was racing as she tried to put this theory into perspective. She always hated Dwayne, and considered him to be one of the lowliest human beings she had ever met in her lifetime. But rape? She didn't think he could sink _that _low. All evidence pointed towards him, but something about it just didn't feel right…

"Neo, I don't think it's Dwayne." She said softly.

"What do you mean?" Neo retorted. "Of course it's Dwayne. We saw him walking back from Lorena's room!"

"We saw hundreds of people walking in that same direction, and there are millions more people in Zion who it could have been. It could have just been a coincidence."

"It seems an unlikely coincidence." He argued. "Why are you so reluctant to consider this as a possibility?"

"I've known Dwayne for years, Neo. I've put up with him longer than you have." She replied. "I know he can be a bastard at times, but I don't think he's capable of something like…rape. Something about it just doesn't seem to fit."

Neo was frustrated with her. How could she make excuses for Dwayne? After all, hadn't she always hated him anyway? In his mind, he had already convinced himself that Dwayne was the one who was doing this. How could she not see that Dwayne was the one making Lorena suffer?

"Well, Dwayne's our most likely suspect right now. We'll have to bring him before the Council…tell Lorena we know and convince her to make a statement. If she shows the Council her bruises, then – "

"Neo, this isn't like you. You're not thinking this through!"

It was only when he paused to consider this that he realized she was right. He sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Trin. It's just…I hate seeing people suffer, and I want Lorena to be protected and safe. I want to find this guy."

"I know you do." Trinity said, resting a hand on his shoulder sympathetically. "It'll be alright Neo, you'll see. We'll find the guy, and Lorena will be fine."

"I hope you're right." Neo said softly, looking down at her with sad eyes. He desperately wanted to believe her, but he couldn't get the image of Lorena cowering beside him in fear out of his mind. Something told him that it would be a long time, if ever, before she was 'fine' again.

(o)

"Finally." Morpheus sighed in relief when he opened the door to his two crewmembers sometime later. "I was beginning to wonder if Dwayne had delivered my message to you at all. Come in."

Morpheus' room was slightly larger than Trinity's, with more seats at the table in the center, giving the impression that Morpheus had frequent visitors. Someone else was already sitting at the table, dressed in a lose Zion attire with dark braids of hair dangling on his shoulders. He stared at the newcomers with worn, sad dark eyes.

"Link!" Neo exclaimed, trying and failing to contain his surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"So I take it the two of you already know each other?" Morpheus said, looking from one man to the other. "Good, that should save some time. Have a seat, Neo and Trinity."

Neo dropped into a chair opposite Link with Trinity just beside him. Morpheus remained standing, keeping his arms folded across his chest as he observed the immediate relaxation between the three of them when they exchanged a greeting.

"Neo, Trinity, I'd like you to meet our newest crewmember." Morpheus said. "Link came to me this morning and volunteered to be our new operator."

"What?" Trinity gasped. "Why?"

Link swallowed, the same grief that had crossed his face during Tank's funeral now returning to him. "When I married Zee, Dozer made me promise that if something ever happened to him and Tank, I would have to take over as the operator on board your ship. I've kept to my word."

"But what about Zee?" Neo couldn't help asking, picturing the look on Tank's younger sister's face when she discovered her husband's intentions. "What does she think about this?"

"We talked about this last night. She's fine with it." Link replied. "I swear I'll be a good operator. I've had fourteen years of experience working on other ships. I know what I'm doing."

"It's not as if we have much choice." Morpheus said. "Link is the only one who has applied to work on our ship, and we do need a new operator."

Trinity could understand why no one else had volunteered for the job. After what had happened to the rest of the Nebuchadnezzar's crew, she knew that people in Zion would be inclined to think that the ship was cursed. In fact, she was surprised that Link had kept his promise to his brother-in-law, since he seemed like the sort of person to believe in superstition. The fact that he had put this aside and volunteered away just proved the strength of Link's character, and Trinity was therefore more than happy to welcome him into their crew.

It was different for Neo. He didn't know Link well yet, and he was afraid of being on a ship with a near-to-complete stranger. It had been hard for him to be the 'new guy' on the ship – not knowing anything or anyone in this strange new world. The idea of Link joining their crew frightened him a little because he really had no idea what the new operator would be like. This also seemed to point out Tank's death to him yet again in a very blatant manner. Link's submission to the ship was like reminding him that Tank would not be coming back.

Later that evening, he asked Trinity to tell him what she could about Link. He had spent time with Link before – even going out with him and Tank once for a drink – but they still were more acquaintances than friends.

"He's a nice guy, Neo, you'll like him. He and Tank used to be good friends." Trinity said, smiling slightly when she detected her companion's discomfort. "Are you worried about him working on the ship?"

"A little." Neo said uneasily. "I mean, I'm not very good with new people. But it doesn't really matter at the moment. We _should _be focusing on Dwayne and Lorena."

"You haven't proven Dwayne is guilty." Trinity reminded him.

"Yet." Neo replied. "I'm going to visit her again tomorrow. Maybe when I mention Dwayne's name, she'll tell us the truth about him."

(o)

Neo approached Lorena's door the following day and knocked, excepting Vivianna to open the door. When she didn't answer after a solid five minutes, Trinity pushed in front of him roughly, her eyes glowing with impatience.

"Lorena, Vivianna, it's Trinity. Open the door now!" She shouted. When there was still no reply, she gave the door and half-hearted push, only to discover that it was unlocked.

"It's open..." Neo said anxiously. He was worried why no one was opening it, especially after Trinity had voiced her name. Lorena was sure to have heard that…and why was the door unlocked in the first place?

Trinity entered the room first, with Neo only a few steps behind her. He could tell something was wrong just from the look on Trinity's face. Her face turned a ghostly shade of white, and she was wide-eyed with shock and pure horror.

"Oh my God." She breathed.

"Trin, what's – " Neo froze at the sight before him, and it felt as if time itself had stopped completely.

Lorena lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, her face twisted with anguish and pain. A knife lay in the palm of her limp hand, its blade wet with fresh blood – the same blood that leaked from twin slits in either wrist and onto the metallic floor below...

(o)

Thanks for reading, please review!


	39. Anguish

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to a friend of mine. Her penname on fanfiction is fifteen-days-of-bliss. I strongly urge everyone who has enjoyed my fanfiction to read some of her stuff, because seriously, she writes the best descriptions! You won't be disappointed if you R and R. Thank you!

39

Neo stood on the edge of the corridor outside his room, leaning on the balcony and resting folded arms on the banister in front of him, overlooking the city of Zion as lights everywhere were being switched off and people were preparing for a peaceful nights sleep. Although he was exhausted from the days events, he knew that he would struggle to sleep tonight with the same ease as those in the city around him. Disturbing thoughts still plagued his mind…

He couldn't believe that he had not seen it coming. He was usually good with sensing discomfort or unease in people, so why didn't he sense this? If only he hadn't allowed Vivianna to take full reasonability for Lorena…if only he had stayed with her for forced her into moving in with him…if only he had somehow forced her to report it in the first place…if only…

_No!_ he needed to stop thinking like this. He should know by now that blaming himself wouldn't change anything. What's done is done. But this thought didn't stop him from wishing that everything that had happened today could be _undone_, or wondering what would have been if he had done something different.

Lorena was so young – far too young to be driven into such a state. He hardly knew her, but that didn't mean he didn't hurt deeply because of what she had done. She was just sixteen years old, which made her virtually a child. Children should not have to be put through so much pain and suffering that they are practically driven to the point of insanity. Children should not have to know what its like to feel so helpless and worthless that they would even consider taking their own life.

So many confusing emotions were confronting him right now – pain, sadness, anger, betrayal, hurt, confusion – and he hardly knew what to think or feel. He was furious with Lorena for giving up so easily, and felt as if she had betrayed him by giving up like this. Part of him wanted to strangle her if he could, yet all the sorrow and anguish just made him want to break down into tears. Lorena was only human, just like everyone else. If she couldn't hold on, then could anyone else? Was it only a matter of time before everyone else began to break down and lose control? All these new thoughts and ideas confused him immensely, and thinking so much was beginning to make his head ache. He desperately wanted to sleep for a few hours, but knew his sleep would be troubled if he did.

He clearly remembered the last time he had stood in this exact spot on his first trip to Zion after he had slept with Trinity for the first time. He had felt like some kind of god – strong, powerful and practically unstoppable. Nothing had seemed impossible then; _Nothing. _But now, he felt completely the opposite. He couldn't get the image of how he had seen Lorena that morning out of his mind, lying on the floor in her own blood – looking so lost and pathetic…_helpless._

Yes, that was exactly how he felt. Helpless. Helpless to do anything to save Lorena, instead having to simply watch on and hope…

(o)

It had taken him some time to recover from the initial shock of seeing Lorena lying there that morning. It felt as if this moment in time was frozen, and he would be forced to relive it again and again. That, or time had suddenly slowed down like it sometimes did when he was dreaming. For a brief moment, he had even wondered if this _was _a dream. When Trinity spoke to him, her voice sounded miles away…

"Neo, we need to get her to the hospital immediately." When he turned to look at her, Neo could see that she was trying to play the part of Second-in-Command. He was beginning to realize that this was the only way she knew how to get through difficult situations – to become as cold and unfeeling as possible, distancing herself from her emotions so that she could maintain a sense of logic and reason. He wished that he could be like that, then perhaps he would be able to push his own emotions aside and do what he could to help.

Trinity had already stooped beside Lorena's body and had taken hold of her wrists, tracing her thumbs lightly over the wound. Neo observed the sickly look in her eyes when the blood rubbed off own her own skin. Now he was closer to her, he was able to pick up of signs that most people would ignore. Signs that conveyed how she was _really _feeling. Even though she was trying to keep her expression stony and level, he could tell that this was even more disturbing for her than it was for him. It was bringing back memories…painful memories.

Sensing her distress, Neo snapped out of his trance and knelt beside her, lifting Lorena's fragile body so that she was reclining in his arms. She felt even more brittle and weak than usual, but she was still warm. Still alive, if barely.

"She's unconscious. Probably passed out from lack of blood." Trinity stated, trying and failing to keep her voice level. "We have to hurry, Neo."

She led the way down the streets towards the hospital, practically running, but making sure not to stray away from Neo. Neo moved as fast as he could while cradling Lorena in his arms, ignoring the people who stopped and gaped at him when he past. He didn't have time to worry about what others would think of him at the moment. All that mattered was saving Lorena's life.

By the time they reached the hospital, Lorena's blood had seeped into the material of his shirt, dyeing it a dark shade of red. He held her close to him, clinging to the futile hope that somehow his own strength would be able to pass into her and keep her alive long enough for them to save her.

The Matron was the first to see them, and crossed the front room briskly. Her wrinkled face was etched with stress and anxiety, and exhaustion was evident in her gray eyes. Her long, silvery hair swung about her shoulders as she approached them, stopping in her tracks when she saw the unconscious girl's bloody wrists.

"What happened?" She barked in a tone that told both Neo and Trinity that she would not except a false answer.

"She…she…" Neo stammered, unable to force out the words. Just saying it would make it all seem too real.

"She tried to kill herself." Trinity snapped back curtly, glowering at the Matron to hide the sadness in her eyes.

The old woman blinked at her, obviously taken aback by this response. "What?"

Trinity groaned with frustration. "We don't have time for this! This girl needs to be taken to a bed and treated – _NOW!_"

"There's no need to shout. Everything will be taken care of in due time." The Matron replied irritably.

"Damn it, there's no time for 'orderly procedure'! She's dying!"

Dying. So far, Neo had only thought of this possibility to himself, but hearing Trinity say it aloud made it seem very real. He could tell that Trinity felt the same way, because she stopped short as soon as the words had left her mouth. He was suddenly confronted with the blunt and obvious truth. _Dying…Lorena is dying._

The Matron stared from one to the other, her lips pursed together tightly. Her eyes then traveled to the girl in Neo's arms and she sighed heavily. "Follow me."

Minutes later, Lorena had been taken inside the main hospital walls, leaving Neo and Trinity to wait in the corridor outside her room. Neither made any argument when they were told they weren't allowed to enter. It was all too much to take in at once, and they needed to recover from it first.

Neo leaned against the hospital wall, feeling as if the last of his energy had been spent. He was already so emotionally drained that he didn't know if he could keep on his feet much longer. Depression…anger…resentment…sadness…grief…anguish – he didn't know which of them to feel. There were other emotions that were surrounding him too, ones which he didn't fully understand and simply couldn't name. They were too profound – too dark – to even put words to.

He suddenly became aware of Trinity's shaky breathing and turned to look at her. She had turned pasty white, and her eyes were clouded with pain and memory.

"Trin?" He asked hesitantly.

Trinity looked up at him, and he could now see that tears were brimming in the corners of her eyes and threatening to fall. "Rape…suicide…waiting here like this and not knowing what was going to happen…it all reminds me of Charity."

Neo felt his heart lurch and instinctively reached out to pull her close, but then noticed the blood that was still on his shirt. He hadn't remembered it until now, and just looking at it made him feel sick. He swayed a little on his feet, then slumped so that his full weight was against the wall. Trinity reached out and touched his arm, and he could feel her fingers trembling.

"Do you want to talk about Charity?" He asked her softly after sometime had passed.

Trinity bit back her tears and shook her head. "Too many memories and emotions. It would only make it worse."

"Sometimes talking about things can help."

"You already know about it anyway…what happened to Charity, I mean. Besides this isn't about Charity anyway, it's about Lorena. God, I don't even know why I'm even thinking about it." She finished on a note of frustration, then folded both arms protectively across her chest and sniffed, looking him directly in the eyes as she said, "Neo, it happened so many years ago. It wasn't even real. Why doesn't it stop hurting?"

"It was real, Trinity. She might not have been your biological sister, but you were still close to her, and you saw her as your sister for most of your life. What happened to her _was _real."

Trinity was still, pondering this silently before she continued, "I used to think that if I ignored my emotions, then they would just go away. But now, I'm beginning to see that wounds don't heal with time. All time does is bury it all inside of you. The pain is still there, just hidden under layers of memory."

"Trin, it only hurts because you've kept it bottled up inside of you for so long." Neo answered her blatantly. "If you keep hiding from your emotions, then of course they'll never go away. Remember what I said to you on the night of Switch, Apoc, Dozer and Mouse's funeral? You can't hold it all in forever, which is what you have been doing most of your life. Charity's death still hurts you so much because you never had anyone to talk about it with. Of course you'll never fully recover from Charity's death, but talking to someone will help. And you know that you can always talk to me without having to worry about being judged or…or anything. I won't think any less of you for admitting your feelings. In fact, I will think just the opposite. You should be proud of what makes you human."

Trinity just stared at him, taking it all in. Neo had told her similar things before, but she had never taken them to heart. She had just been thankful that she now had someone she could trust and who she could share things with without worrying about protecting a reputation or hiding who she truly was. But now, she finally grasped what Neo had always been saying to her. Admitting her emotions was the only way to come to terms with her grief, and she had been hiding them for so long…carrying the burden of so much pain and suffering for so many years. She shouldn't be ashamed of these emotions or consider them a weakness. She should realize that they made her stronger. Her love for Neo had proven that to her long ago, but she was too blind to really see it.

"You know, you've become a lot surer of yourself recently." She thought aloud with a small smile, remembering how shy he used to be when he was newly unplugged. "You're a lot more self-confident…stronger."

"We've both become stronger, Trin." He replied. "We've both grown."

Trinity considered the way she used to be just months ago and realized he was right. If anyone had told her then that she would become the person she was now, she would have laughed at them. It was hard to believe that she was the same person she once was. Sure, on the outside she still upheld her barrier and maintained her reputation, but purely for self-defense against her enemies. Inside, she was a completely different person. She had opened herself up and allowed herself to love someone else, and it was that love that had changed her for the better.

It was impossible for her to imagine what life would have been like if she had lost Neo the day he discovered he was the One. If she hadn't admitted her feelings to him…if she hadn't kissed him, then he wouldn't have realized someone loved him and wouldn't have seen a reason to live. She would have lost him, and would have regretted it for the rest of her life. Constant loneliness and isolation would consume her, and she probably would have ended up doing anything to get herself to stop grieving, maybe even…No, she couldn't even think like that anymore. Not after what had happened to Charity, and now to Lorena as well.

"How can you be so…_giving_?" She asked him quietly. "How can you be so willing to listen to me, and to love me?"

"How can I not?" Neo smiled at her. "I'm always going to be here to listen, Trinity, if you want to be heard."

"Right now, I don't think I need to talk. I think I just need to…" She trailed away and pulled him close to her instead, ignoring the bloodstains on his shirt.

"Don't worry, Trin." He whispered, kissing the top of her head and returning her tight embrace. "We'll get through this together, just like we got through everything else."

"God, Neo, I've been selfish." Trinity suddenly said. "I haven't even asked you how _you're_ feeling."

"I'm okay, I think. I'm just a little confused. There's so many different emotions…I'm not sure which one is the strongest. I'm not really sure how I feel. I'm just at a bit of a loss."

"I know what you mean." Trinity replied, pulling away from him slightly so that she could try and read his facial expression. "How could Lorena do something like this? She knows that there are people willing to help her, so how could she just give up?"

"I guess it wasn't enough. When I first confronted her, she told me that she had hoped I would be able to use some kind of magical power on her to help her to forget all her pain. Maybe she thought that the only way to forget was…was…" He sighed heavily. "I feel like I've failed her."

"You _haven't _failed her, Neo." Trinity replied indignantly. "You did everything you could. No one can expect any more of you. Don't ever feel like it was your fault."

"You're right." Neo said grimly. "But it's still going to take some time."

"I know it will."

He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the sound of someone coughing behind him. He turned around and almost jumped in surprise when he saw Vivianna standing behind him, her face blotchy and her eyes stained with tears.

"Neo, I'm so sorry." She wept. "All of this is my fault."

Neo glanced back and Trinity, who hesitated only briefly before nodding in answer to his unvoiced question. He then hurried towards Vivianna without a second thought, forgetting everything that had passed between them recently and pulling her into a warm embrace. She instantly broke down and began to sob uncontrollably into his shoulder. He said nothing, but patted her on the back comfortingly until she had calmed down enough to speak.

"I stayed with her all of last night. I tried to get her to come and stay with me, but she didn't want to leave in case he came back and went searching for me. She was trying to protect me. She said he would try to kill us both if he found her. B-But the next morning, I left her sleeping while I hurried back to my room to grab a few things and forgot to lock the door. When I came back, the door was open and there was blood all over the floor. I didn't know what to do, so I started asking people if they'd seen her. Someone told me that they'd seen you carrying her off to the hospital, so I came here. Oh God, Neo, I shouldn't have left her alone. I'm so stupid! She could have died and it was all my fault!"

Vivianna finished her frantic speech and struggled to catch her breath. Neo felt a wave of sympathy go out towards her. He knew exactly how she felt, and what it was like to wonder if there was something he could have done to prevent any of this.

"It's alright, Vivianna." He murmured soothingly. "You couldn't have known that she was thinking this way. It's not your fault at all."

Trinity watched on with a mixture of different feelings. Admittedly, she was jealous, and wanted to rip Vivianna off Neo right away. She wouldn't have minded them embracing if she didn't know the young girl still had feelings for Neo, but she couldn't seem to get that idea out of her mind. But the embrace was far from being anything romantic, and she was sure that this was the last thing on Vivianna's mind right now. In a time like this, they both needed each other's support. Friendship had always meant a great deal to Neo because he had never really had that many friends in his Matrix life. She didn't want him to lose the ones he had, especially when he needed them.

"Neo's right, Vivianna." She added somberly, "If this is anyone's fault, then it's mine. I was the one who told her about my sister. I was the one who put the idea of suicide into her head. If it wasn't for that, then…" she shuddered. Even after her death, Charity's legacy was still hurting people.

"Trin, that's not true!" Neo exclaimed, stepping away from Vivianna and drawing closer to her. "No one here is to blame for what happened. If you're to blame anyone, then it should be – "

"_Trin_?"

As if on cue, Dwayne had appeared in the corridor, a smug expression on his face. There was a self-satisfied glint in his beady black eyes, and his lips were twisted into a sinister leer. Neo was instantly filled with hatred and rage as he remembered the conclusions he had come to only the previous day. Dwayne was the one who had caused Lorena so much pain. Dwayne was the reason why she had tried to take her own life. Dwayne was the reason for _everything_. Neo couldn't believe that he had once felt pity for a man who had done such a horrible thing, and who then had the nerve to turn up at the hospital to gloat about it.

"He calls you _Trin _and you actually let him get away with it?" Dwayne doubled over laughing. "And I thought I'd seen everything."

"YOU SICK, TWISTED, SON OF A BITCH!"

Neo stormed towards him without any sense of control and landed a punch squarely in his jaw, using as much strength as he could muster. Dwayne was caught completely off guard and toppled to the ground in an almost comical fashion. Behind him, Neo could hear Vivianna's shriek of surprise and Trinity demanding him to back away, but ignored both. Dwayne was the reason for all of this, and he deserved _pain_. He only had time to kick his enemy sharply in the ribs before Trinity tugged him away.

Dwayne staggered to his feet, clutching his stomach with one hand and wiping blood from his mouth with the other, eyes glowing dangerously with rage. "What the fuck was that for?"

"You know exactly what that was for, you sick bastard!" Neo shouted at him. "How dare you even think to show your face here after what you did to Lorena! Come to gloat about it, have you? Or are you here to see if you can try the same thing with Trinity or Vivianna?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Who in the hell is Lorena?"

Neo glared at him. "Oh, that's just disgusting. You don't even know the name of the girl you've been raping."

"Rape?" Dwayne chuckled nervously. "This has to be some kind of joke. I'll admit that I'm low, but I'm not _that _low."

Neo opened his mouth to reply, but Trinity rested a firm hand on his shoulder, interrupting him. He marveled at how she could be so calm in a time like this. This was the man who had been raping Lorena, torturing her to the brink of insanity.

"I think we should hear him out, Neo. You can't go accusing him until you've heard what he has to say."

Neo was so angry that he didn't want to listen to reason. All he wanted to do was to pound Dwayne into the ground, but he used the small thread of common sense that he had left to convince himself to wait and hear what Dwayne was going to say.

"So what are you doing in the hospital anyway?" Trinity asked him curtly when she saw that Neo had calmed down. "And don't try to play any of your 'games' today, Dwayne, or I'll _help_ Neo to bash your head in instead of preventing him from doing so. Get straight to the point, understand?"

Dwayne nodded vigorously, aware that he was trespassing on dangerous ground. "I'm only here because I've been trying to score with one of the nurses who works here all week. I haven't been _raping_ anybody."

"That's partly true." Vivianna put in, glaring at Dwayne with utter dislike. "He's been hanging around me all week, using just about every lame pickup line you can imagine."

Dwayne noticed Vivianna for the first time and smirked at her, "Hey, beautiful. Matron told me I could find you back here."

Vivianna shuddered. "Matron actually finds it amusing to watch Dwayne chase after me."

"Well, I guess he has an alibi for being here." Trinity remarked, unable to keep the amusement out of her tone. It seemed as if she had finally found something she had in common with the Matron. The idea of Dwayne trailing around after Vivianna _was _amusing.

"But that still doesn't mean he isn't guilty." Neo replied.

"We don't have any proof that he is guilty, either." Trinity said pointedly. "The only person who can prove whether Dwayne is innocent or not is Lorena herself. Until then, there's nothing we can do. Dwayne, you better get out of my sight right now."

Dwayne did as he was told without needing anymore convincing.

(o)

Shortly after Dwayne had departed, the Matron had approached them and informed them that Lorena's condition was now stable, and that she would regain consciousness tomorrow morning. However, she was not allowed to have any visitors until she had been seen by trained specialists. Neo was happy to know that she would now be getting the help she needed, but wished that he could see her, just to reassure himself that she was alright…

Realizing that there was nothing more they could do, Neo and Trinity had said goodbye to Vivianna and returned to their room for some rest. He had spent hours trying to wash the blood and tears of his friends out of his shirt, but he still felt as if he couldn't get the scent out of the fabric. Finally, he abandoned all attempts to clean it and decided to throw it out. After this, he had sat with Trinity in comfortable silence for a while before she eventually dropped off to sleep, and then went out onto the balcony.

He found it hard to believe that so much seemed to have changed in a single day. He had felt so many different emotions in such a short time, and now the only thing he felt was completely drained. Punching Dwayne had taken out some of the built-up emotion he had been carrying, and somehow it had made it easier from him to think clearly once more, although he probably shouldn't have used Dwayne for this purpose. He hardly felt guilty about it, though. He was still mostly convinced that Dwayne thoroughly deserved that punch.

"Neo?"

The soft tone broke through his silent reverie. Neo moved away from the banister and smiled awkwardly when he saw Vivianna approaching him. She attempted to smile back, although she didn't seem very cheerful. They may have hugged each other before, but things between them were obviously still tense.

"I hope I'm not interrupting you or anything, but I just couldn't sleep and I wanted to talk."

"You're not interrupting anything." Neo answered calmly. "Are you worrying about Lorena?"

"No, not anymore. She's alive, and now she's going to be getting the help she needs. I know she'll be fine." Vivianna smiled to reassure him. "I actually wanted to talk to you about…something else."

Neo tensed, doubting he could take much more emotional strain today if Vivianna tried to kiss him again. His reaction must have been noticeable, because she laughed at him.

"Don't worry, it's nothing like that again. All I want to do is tell you something. Can you promise me that you won't interrupt or say anything until I'm done?"

"Sure," Neo said curiously. "I promise."

Vivianna took a deep breath before she continued, "First of all, I wanted to say that I'm really sorry about what happened that day in the hospital. I knew you were in another relationship, but I guess part of me didn't want to believe that. I didn't think things through and I apologize for putting you in an awkward situation. Now that I've seen you and Trinity together, I can see what love is really meant to be like. What you have is something really…profound, and goes deeper than just mere attraction. I've realized that I was wrong when I said I was in love with you. But I'm not going to make that mistake again. I'm going to wait until I can find the kind of love you and Trinity have."

"Wow…" Neo breathed, scarcely able to believe his ears. Finally, Vivianna had come to understand what he had being trying to tell her all along! "Sounds like you really rehearsed that well."

"Yeah, I was working on that speech for the last four hours." Vivianna grinned at him. "But I mean every word of it. Neo, I really hope that we can still be friends."

"You'll always be my friend, Vivianna." Neo beamed at her and rested his hand on her shoulder. "Even if you _do _come up with corny speeches."

"Oh come on, it wasn't _that_ bad." Vivianna shoved him playfully. "Give me some credit – I put some effort into that speech!"

"I'm only kidding." Neo laughed and shoved her back. "You know, someday you're going to make some guy very happy, Vivianna."

"I know." She answered smugly, yawning. "Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. I think I'm ready to get some sleep now."

"Alright. Goodnight, Vivianna."

"See you, Neo."

Neo watched her until he was certain that she had returned safely to the elevator before heading back to his own room and the woman he loved.

(o)

A/N: As you probably can tell, I am now heading towards the end of this story. There is only about ten or so more chapters to go, in which I will do my best to wrap up unfinished plotlines and set the scene for the Matrix Reloaded movie before I stop writing. If you have any final suggestions for scenes or dialogue to include in the last few chapters, this will be your last chance.

Thanks for reading, please review!


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